Too Much Familiarity Breeds Contempt!
by WhiteGloves
Summary: From ridiculous nicknames to each other's good points, bad points, dirty habits, no brain and perm. Gintoki and Katsura know that of each other having been friends for a long time. But Gintoki oddly got on Katsura's bad side and now Katsura plans to destroy him. What will happen to perm and wig? And what are the chances of a certain one eyed man joining in?
1. Contempt 1

*** Too Much Familiarity Breeds Contempt***

_by: **WhiteGloves**_

_"Don't label us as comrades… our relationship isn't that simple."_

_~Takasugi Shinsuke~_

_**-Something that came out from the box called brain. **_

_**At least I have it in me. Nah, Zura?-**_

_**Enjoy Reading!**_

* * *

><p>There was a flushing toilet sound followed by a door opening and closing; then came a sound of footsteps suddenly halting— then a voice—<p>

"Huh?"

Sakata Gintoki's dull fish like eyes blinked ever slowly as he stared at the person sitting in front of him inside the Yorozuya house hold. The visitor couldn't be any stranger to him for if there was a possible _eighth_ day he was sure to find the same person sitting on the couch so comfortably that it was actually annoying. Yet he knew to discourage the man to come to him was like asking his booger to stop cumulating inside his nose.

The Yorozuya leader's mouth twitched to open but his lethargic _will_ got the best of him; in the end he just kept his eyes at his long black haired visitor. The visitor, too, remained immobile on the spot, sitting rigidly with straight back and arms crossed and well hidden on the cover of his sleeves. When he opened his eyes, it revealed a pair of olive colored orbs that was ever so grieve and serious.

The two did not bat an eyelid as they stared at each other hard and long.

Then Katsura went and opened his mouth—

"Ginto-"

A foot suddenly slammed on his face without warning.

"Quiet. The answer is no." Gintoki replied.

"_But I have not yet said anything_!" Katsura hissed as he shoved Gintoki's foot away. Nearby, Sadaharu, who was sitting comfortably at the Yorozuya leader's table, gave a mighty yawn.

"Shut up. I don't care why you're here." Gintoki travelled his eyes to the box on the table with a design of a cake on it, "Seriously, even bringing up another bribe, you... don't you think it's obvious what you want? Are you a suitor? Sorry, but I don't go for face value much if it's got the same parts I have."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"It's a compliment." Gintoki muttered as he sat down opposite the long haired samurai with the box already opened and the cake on a plate and spoon on his hand. "Then?"

Katsura leaned forward eagerly.

"I came here with a very important mission... a battle of life and death..."

"Don't we all have that every day?" the silver haired samurai muttered with icing on the corner of his mouth. "Oh yeah, in your case it's always a matter of dying and death, isn't it?"

Katsura started solemnly at him as if he did not hear anything, "You're the only one who can help me, Gintoki."

The silver haired samurai's attention was caught by the meaningful stare the Joui leader was giving him. Then Katsura straightened and bowed his head.

"Oi, Zura..."

"It's not Zura! It's Katsura."

"Whichever… oi… are you serious?"

"Gintoki..." Katsura looked up, the tension in his eyes increasing as Gintoki's eyes widened expectantly.

"I beg you…this event might just change the shape of this forsaken country so I am in dire need of your assistance…" he took something from his sleeves and slammed it so dramatically on the table— "Gintoki, _please— please help me win the Edo Uno Championship Gameee!"_

Gintoki's face darkened as the Joui leader raised his head with face as serious as ever as he continued so heartily and with deep conviction—

"_This battle has been going on for years between all the Jouishishi factions and 'we' of the Katsura faction has held its reputation to be the longest title record holder for five consecutive championships! We had faced a lot of foe from different factions and for so long we managed to beat every single one of them and claimed to be the strongest above all— the most powerful and influential—we are the rulers! To this day Gintoki, our faction has been the leading group among all factions—the most famous one if I might say! With that power other Joushishi are intimidated by us and some dissolve to join us! See our power, Gintoki!? This is the power of the one at the very top—!"_

"The only one I see on the top is your head under my table!" Gintoki grinded his teeth as he slammed his foot yet again at the long haired samurai's head, "what's with that dramatic expression? Life and death my ass! I'll just kill you here, teme!"

"Ack! G-Gintoki you don't understand-!"

"I don't want to bother to understand!" he stepped on Katsura's head again and again, "I understand my foot better than your head! What Uno battle? What championship? Seriously bothering me for a ridiculous thing! What the hell's with all the faction battling over Uno, huh? Is this some heavenly god game where the winner will get to be a god? Is that why your faction's so busy these days?!"

"Y-your reaction's more ridiculous- ackk!"

In the middle of their action, the Uno box suddenly flew away from Katsura's hand and landed neatly on Sadaharu's nose on the table. The dog's eyes slightly opened to look at what suddenly hit him and then just like that— opened his mouth and used his tongue to swallow it.

"Ahhh!" Katsura shouted in shock as the dog went to sleep again as if nothing happened. Gintoki watched the whole thing too but his reaction was as lame as ever.

"Well, that's that, Zura." He muttered as he put his foot down and watched as the Joui leader slowly straightened up, "I don't plan to join you in any battle any time soon. Go home and reflect what your real purpose in life is, alright? You're incredibly lost. No—you're brain is _lost!_ Seriously you've been straying from your path like a long time ago, what are you really? From a Joui leader to an Uno leader… if you're not careful your path's really going downhill, same with your brain."

"How can you say that, Gintoki!" the long haired samurai shot up from his chair with fists closed, "the battle has not even begun and you're giving up already?"

"I've never begun anything with you, teme!"

"Don't lie to yourself! We have a past together!"

"Don't speak like an old lover from my past—!"

"No matter how much you deny me you cannot erase what we have!"

"_We don't have anything!"_

"Take responsibility and join me! Your help is absolutely necessary!"

"Like hell I'll go there! No amount of cake would make me go there!"

"Speaking of which, you've already finished the cake I brought for you!"

"Oh, so you brought that!? I thought that was my own supply I was saving just in case some busy buddy visits me for no reason!"

"Don't play dumb with me! In any case it's already decided! We will win this battle together!"

"_I SAID I AIN'T GOING AND I AIN'T GOING! LISTEN TO WHAT OTHER PEOPLE SAY!"_

"Now let us plan ourstrategy. Listen, there are three rounds in the championship—my friends and I have successfully cleared the path in the championship—"

"What friends? This is the first time I'm hearing this! _You have no friends_!"

Katsura's eyebrow twitched.

"You're really… have you really no amount of shame? You're denying even your own friend?"

Gintoki stared at him dully.

"That's why I said…who's your friend again?"

Katsura closed his eyes and smiled though there was an annoyed vein had started pounding on his head.

"There you go again trying to escape responsibility. Really, you have to grow up like a real man, Gintoki."

"Why are you speaking like an impregnated woman? And just who are you talking about?"

"You. _My friend_."

"That's why I keep asking just who do you think is your _friend_?"

"_You."_

"No, no, I think you're really misunderstanding something here. I think you're really mistaking me for someone else— no wait— maybe there's really no one else—"

The vein on the Joui leader's head snapped and the next thing Katsura was shouting and pointing at the Yorozuya leader-

"Stop messing around! To think a friend like you would keep on saying that—!?"

Gintoki pointed back at him and blew his horn.

"I never said that, you bastard! Who in their right mind would take you as one, teme!"

Both steaming, the Joui leader and the Yorozuya leader glared at each other until Katsura took in a deep inhale and crossed his arms.

"Fine, I get it. It's alright for you to get confuse since you're nervous about the championship. After all, it's your first time being entered in a national competition so I'll forgive you this time if you apologize."

"Shut up already, Zura. I ain't joining and I ain't apologizing."

The vein now pounded on Katsura's cheek.

"W-well, I can't help it if you really won't join since you don't know how to play Uno in a national level so I'll forgive you. Friends forgive each other after all."

Gintoki looked away with a pouting face, "Who's your friend? Even Sadaharu would not want to be found alive with you calling him a friend."

"Bastard…. Didn't you think we're friends?"

"_Never."_

"Really—Gintoki!"

The silver haired samurai then shouted at his face— _"Idiot. As I said I never thought of you my friend. Who'd befriend a brainless maniac like you?"_

Something in Katsura _snapped._

"You bastard—then why do you think I'm inviting you to join me if we're not friends?!"

"Why should I bother trying to understand a bakka's mentality, you bakka!?"

Impatience burst out of the Joui leader who slammed his fist on the table. Gintoki kept his eyes away until he noticed Katsura standing slowly and silently headed for the door with arms on his side, his face hidden on the shadow of his face.

Gintoki blinked at the sudden retreating figure and sighed.

"Oi, Zura!"

It happened in a flash that caught the silver haired samurai by surprise. A sword came out of nowhere and nearly sliced Gintoki if not for his instincts warning him to fall back. Strands of his silver hair fell on the floor.

Looking up he found Katsura eyeing him sharply as if he was an enemy. He returned the gaze with his expressionless eyes. Katsura's eyes narrowed.

"_It's not Zura. It's Katsura."_

Just then, the shoji door slid open followed by the two other younger Yorozuyas coming in. The moment the two saw what was happening they immediately stopped.

"Gin-san? Katsura-san?" Shinpachi asked in bewilderment while Kagura blinked at the two older men. "What's going on?"

Gintoki watched as Katsura pulled his sword away and put it back to its sheath.

"Don't dare call me Zura again." he said quietly, his eyes hidden on his hair, "We're over. This relationship is over. I'm severing ties with you."

And the long haired samurai turned without ado. He silently went pass Kagura and Shinpachi who both watched him go.

"Katsura... san?" the megane boy whispered as he walked by but the Joui leader never turned. Kagura turned to Gintoki with her blue eyes transfixed at him.

"Zura's really pissed, Gin-chan." she commented.

"Who cares? Seriously getting his temper out on me! He nearly cut me, didn't you see that?"

"Not everyone can just do that." the megane boy replied as he closed the door and the three of them sat opposite each other.

"He can do that!" Gintoki insisted with a wave of his arm, "And didn't you hear him talk like some teenager breaking up with someone?"

"Well, what did you argue about?" Shinpachi insisted on.

"I don't even remember. He was just suddenly at my neck."

"Hmm?" Kagura suddenly blinked, catching the males' attention, "maybe you told him something weird like 'kiss me' or 'sleep with me'?"

"I'd like to say that to him as much as I do to you!" the silver haired muttered.

"Oi! Are you insulting me, yes?"

"Kagura-chan, that's enough," Shinpachi said with a concerned look at the Yorozuya leader, "Gin-san, what was that about? I rarely see Katsura-san that angry. You must've said something that provoked him? Spill it already."

Gintoki frowned and problematically put a hand on his head.

"It's nothing serious. It's just his stupid head."

Shinpachi looked thoughtfully at the Yorozuya lader who seemed careless whatsoever.

"Well," the megane boy went again, "if it was some stupid thing then why did he get that angry? I'm sure you said something else… because you two never argue about those simple things before."

"I told you it's an _adult_ stuff," Kagura murmured, "you heard Zura. He said he was breaking up. In short Gin-chan was dumped."

"_Where the hell do you get those ideas!?"_ the silver haired samurai raged.

At the table, the giant white fur ball gave a mighty yawn.

The trio glanced at the dog for awhile before Shinpachi looked at Gintoki again.

"Are you sure this is okay, Gin-san?"

"Leave it alone," the Yorozuya leader sighed again and silently stood up, "It's not like Zura to hold grudge like that. I'm sure he'll forget it in the next few days. You'll see, he'll be here before we notice it and once he comes, brace yourselves. We're in again for his unending stupidity."

Shinpachi looked uncertain for awhile. Then he pressed a smile.

"You're right. This is Katsura-san after all."

* * *

><p>A week later, everyone has forgotten about that episode. If it was entirely right, Gintoki has forgotten everything about Katsura's existence—in fact—he was back on his old habit of lazing around his household, lying on the couch with a <em>Jump <em>book on his face with feet up.

It was just an ordinary day.

"The yellow haired ninja story is almost over," he muttered to himself as he pulled book down to his nose, his eyes as dead as ever, "I wonder what life is without that ninja around? Will another story get on top of it like how it did to Drag-On Ball? I wonder how it will end? Will he get the pink girl or the black girl will get him? Hmm... so many questions you have to deal when you're facing an end for a manga that it's actually troublesome. Tsk… not like my story's ending up any time soon."

He pulled himself up and put the _Jump_ down the table, scratching his head.

"Man, reading that ninja eating his favorite ramen suddenly made me want to eat some ramen too."

He stood up and scratched his butt.

"I wonder if I can get another free meal again."

He walked outside in the daylight in his slow pace, not bothering even to take his bike. If there was any place to get some good ramen, there were plenty; but just about that time his palate was only looking for a taste of one and only.

He arrived shortly at Ikumatsu's Ramen shop.

"Oi," he greeted with voice as enthusiastic as his eyes as he opened the shoji door. Ikumatsu, who was inside the counter talking to someone in front of her, looked up startled, but then smiled at him warmly.

"Ah, Gin-san."

Gintoki entered the shop and his eyes fell on the man sitting by the counter whose long black hair he would never mistake. He stared at the man's back.

"What would you like to have today, Gin-san?" the lady asked as the Yorozuya leader sat down a sit away from the long haired samurai.

"I was reading a very good manga just now that made me want to eat your ramen," Gintoki said with a small smile, "so if you could please add plenty of _naruto_ there I'll be very grateful."

"Reading your life away with fictions and only working on when it befits you, how very likely of you." A voice so cold said from Gintoki's right who was none other than Katsura, "Someone who never had uphold the name of honorable samurais… I don't get why I was tolerating the likes of you in the first place."

Both Ikumatsu and Gintoki gave him a look.

Katsura closed his eyes and stood up quietly.

"Thank you for the soba, Ikumatsu-dono." He said without as much as a glance at the silver haired samurai, "And this is the payment. I don't want you to think all samurais never pay for their meal."

Ikumatsu blinked at the long haired samurai who gave her a respectful bow before turning around and leaving. The door closed behind him, leaving the lady and the silver haired samurai in silence.

"Ramen." Gintoki muttered suddenly, making Ikumatsu glance at him.

"Sure."

She turned to work on the meal while Gintoki slowly raised a hand on his head and scratched it.

"Seems like I won't have any extras for pachinko." he muttered under his breath.

* * *

><p>Gintoki went home that night with less enthusiasm than when he left that afternoon. He was walking in the empty street of Kabuki with his right hand lamely inside the covers of his white kimono which was hanging off loosely on his right shoulder.<p>

"No pachinko all day and got stuck with Hasegawa at the park," he muttered to himself as he walked under the starless sky, "haven't I got important things to do? Like milking the cow or carrying bread to the town to earn money? Huh? Why am I thinking like granda Alps just now?"

Just then the silver haired samurai stopped walking as he felt more than see presence of people surrounding him. He averted his eyes from left to right then as swiftly as they did, rounins surrounded him.

Gintoki did not give any sign of alarm as he looked at them all.

"Oi," he started uninterestedly, " aren't magistrates the ones supposed to roam the streets at night? Why do I see joushishi in front of me? Have times changed again, huh?"

"With your ability to let time pass you by it might just be possible." a familiar voice said as he stepped ahead of the other rounins. The silver haired samurai wasn't at all surprise to see him with his habitual arms crossed and ever serious face.

"Zura."

Katsura looked up sharply at him.

"That's Katsura for you."

The white haired samurai remained impassive as the Joui leader closed his eyes.

"I've always thought you were just bidding your time hiding in that fancy clothes of yours and the four walls of your house but it really appears like you have become rotten because of your consume of sweet and manga. It's really a shame but I used to look up to you. Now everything has change."

Gintoki blinked and raised a finger to his ears.

"What are you up to now, Katsura?"

Katsura narrowed his eyes.

"There's nothing I can do about the past. You have been a significant part of it and I would never forget that. But from now on our paths diverged. I will no longer seek you nor trouble you as my old comrade. As you have put it so like last time- _we were never friends_."

"Oi, what are you being so dramatic about?"

Katsura closed his eyes. "Let me ask you again… didn't you really think of us as friends?"

Gintoki stared at the long haired samurai with no visible expression save his dull eyes.

"Zura." He opened his mouth, "Go hit your brain if you can find it. You're annoying."

Katsura paused as he gazed at the Yorozuya leader for quite awhile. Gintoki scratched his head and closed his eyes with his expression contorting.

"What kind of pissing question is that?" he asked again, then stared up seriously at the Joushishi leader, "things like that aren't decided by just asking, you idiot."

"Then, this is where we really part," the long haired samurai turned his back without another word, leaving Gintoki staring after him, "so long. Sakata Gintoki."

Gintoki saw him leave and let him. There goes that impulsive Joushishi leader again, he thought. Was there never an end to Zura's eccentricities?

As Katsura's back disappeared into the shadows with the other Jouishishi, the Yorozuya leader thought it would probably take a long time for them to see each other again.

_A long time._

Well. It was for the best.

A grin spread on Gintoki's face.

* * *

><p><strong>~To be continued~<strong>

_Gintoki's really taking it cool haha!_

_Zura's on the prowl again for who knows what he's up to! It's a black box! His brain is!_

_And the one eyed man... ominous I tell you!_

**Thank you for reading!**


	2. Contempt 2

*** Too Much Familiarity Breeds Contempt***

_by: **WhiteGloves**_

_**CONTEMPT 2**_

_"The sword cuts, the smiths forge, the samurai... do what exactly?" - _Takasugi

_"Play UNO." -_ Katsura

_"Play dead." - _Gintoki

_**Enjoy Reading!**_

* * *

><p>Early bright morning again and here was Sakata Gintoki scratching his unruly silver hair and walking towards the doorway after hearing the constant buzzing sound of doorbell that Tama, the robot, attached to it in the insistence of the landlady albeit the Yorozuya leader's refusal.<p>

"There'd be added money for that I guarantee," he told the hardly unsuspecting young Yorozuya members after the bell had been attached.

And so comes the usefulness of the doorbell. To disturb him in his sleep, giving him no excuse to ignore whoever was outside with its insensitive attacker.

"Oi!" the silver haired samurai demanded as he opened the shoji door rather aggressively, "is this the first time you've touch a doorbell, bastard? What's the point of pressing it again and again? Are you living under a rock?"

And found himself face to face with the long haired Jouishishi leader, Katsura Kotarou.

Gintoki found his fist fast on knocking the black haired samurai's head.

_"What are you doing here, idiot?! Weren't we supposed to not see each other for a looooong time!? Isn't that what the last script in the previous day said!? What are you doing here then!? Do me a favor and learn to follow story lines, teme!"_

"Bastard," Katsura straightened his head with eyebrows contorted, "you think I'd be here right after I severed ties with you? And can't you invite someone inside first before you attack them? Your manners never cease to amaze me you samurai-fraud!"

"Must someone who attacks another invite them first politely, idiot? You're brain's really all washed out! Forget it, you're not entering this house! Go severe our ties properly! Severe it to the very skin!"

A vein pounded yet again at the Jouishishi leader's head.

"Stop this nonsense already, we're not gonna meet eye to eye anymore anyways," he said with face grieving, "I'm not here for a lowlife like you who constantly meets people with disregard to his own appearance, let alone comb their hair properly. And I assume you haven't taken a bath either."

That hit a nerve at the Yorozuya leader who looked with veins pounding on his cheek too.

"And you go insult people you disturb early this morning, you brainless samurai…"

"Tsk," Katsura frowned, "I could care less about you if it weren't for leader living under your roof. I want her to know it's already UNO finals tonight."

"And so what of it? Did she join your little band of Quixotes?"

"Where is she?"

"She's outside for her daily exercise with Sadaharu. Some kind of a hobby."

"Is that true? I want to get my UNO cards back from Sadaharu-dono."

"He ate it and digested it. How do you plan to get that?"

Katsura's eyes narrowed.

"That's impossible. That deck is my luckiest at hand. I need it back."

Gintoki's sour face didn't change.

"Then go and onslaught Sadaharu or dissect him in front of Kagura. That would probably wake you to the fact that your prized cards are gone."

Katsura's eyes narrowed even more.

"Your barbaric advice is unnecessary. As if I could do that to something that lives peacefully… my cards… I need them tomorrow as my lucky charm."

"Like hell I care," Gintoki's eyes darkened, "go understand my words somewhere, you pitiful brainless _Yamcha_!"

Thunder and lightning stroke at Katsura's back ground as his own eyes darkened.

"Teme…you dare use that character on me…Your taste for comparison has never changed!" the long haired samurai then put his hand inside his blue kimono, took a small box from it and handed it to the Yorozuya leader, "You understand the meaning of this, don't you?"

"Giving me another bribe?" Gintoki raised his eyes brows as he took the box and inspected it but before he could say anything else, Katsura has turned his back at him with his hair flying behind him.

"I can't be bothered with you anymore, someone like you whose only world is revolving on himself. " he said quietly as he descended the stairs, "Forget that we even met."

Gintoki watched him disappear and then looked at the box.

"I needn't forget it." He said as he slowly opened the parcel, "My own memory has long erased you—"

_BOOM!_

Cumulous black smoke erupted from the second floor of the house.

* * *

><p>"That idiot's really asking for it! Don't he ever dare show himself in front of me again!" Gintoki Sakata was furiously saying as he was next found in Gengai's shop an hour later. The explosion did much damage to his house as it destroyed his front door. Not that it was anything new; his front door always gets to be destroyed twice a week anyway with all the types of people he was acquainted with. But this time a casualty remained—his landlady's newly attached bell. He had brought the broken doorbell to the ingenious engineer after getting blown up next to him courtesy of Katsura.<p>

"You're all worked up, Gin," the small mechanic said without glancing up from the doorbell he was fixing while wearing an iron mask, "getting blown up ain't that bad."

"You try getting blown up, why don't you?"

"I always get to be blown up with the job I have."

"Then lucky you. Have you ever been blown up by an idiot?"

"So you're angry cause this friend of yours blew you up?"

"That's why I kept saying he ain't my friend! Not even close!"

Gengai finally looked up with a frown on his face.

"We're talking about that Joui leader, aren't we? Isn't he a long acquaintance then?"

"Oi, get your perspective clear," Gintoki crossed his arms and looked away, "a maniac like him ain't got no friend. If there's a single friend he's got I bet his hairs are all standing whenever he arrives. You call that friend? It's more like waiting to be electrocuted, I tell you."

"You're describing yourself perfectly well." The old mechanic busied himself on the door bell again, "anyway, Gin, you're really quite worked up about it. If you really don't like him go and tell him."

"Not liking him ain't enough. How many times d'you think I've told him that? That idiot never listens to anyone. He's got his own world that is far dangerous than ours. Look at him making a name as a terrorist—you think it was only because of his terroristic activities? No! He's a terrorist among the terrorist—a danger not only to his enemies but even his allies! I'm always surprised his men get to live by being around him!"

"Well," Gengai straightened up again and removed his iron mask, "aren't you lively talking about him?"

"Tsk—you really don't understand it, do you?"

"No, but get your problem with him fixed quickly," he handed the fixed doorbell back to the Yorozuya leader, "things like doorbells and robots can get fixed pretty easily but ties with people once broken… no amount of wires can fix that."

Gintoki's dull eyes gave no response as he took the doorbell and pressed it.

Electricity hit his whole body sharply— shaking him rather violently.

"_What is this!?" _he demanded.

Gengai's red goggles flashed knowingly.

"I added it as an extra built up so that if that person comes to disturb you again he'll ended up getting electrocuted."

"_And you seriously just advised me to get my ties fixed with him!?"_

"It's a payback, tell him that," Gengain frowned, "can't you guys enjoy a little joke? Your friendship must be pretty rusty then."

"What I'm asking is why electrocution!?"

"Ah?" said a familiar voice from the doorway that made Gintoki and Gengain looked up to find Kagura staring at them, "it's Gin-san."

"Hmm?" Shinpachi appeared right next to her left shoulder, "you're right. It's Gin-san."

"You two," Gintoki said but then his face turned sour again as he saw the third person that appeared behind the two younger Yorozuyas. It was Katsura again.

The two former comrades' eyes made contact. Yet nobody gave any acknowledgement of the other. Shinpachi, the most sensitive of all the present being and who knows the current mood of the two idiots immediately gave a nervous laugh but he was ignored.

"What are you doing here, Gin-san?" he asked instead with a sweat drop at the side of his face.

"Same thing I wanna ask you," the silver haired samurai went on, "I came here to have our doorbell fixed because a certain idiot decided to blow up a place that he wasn't even renting and paying. Such trouble, really terrorists these days…can't expect them to do anything good in the country."

He raised an eyebrow at Katsura who looked sharply at him.

"W-well!" the megane boy tried to get rid of the tension from the two, "we met Katsura-san by chance and we were looking for a way to help him when we ended up here—"

Katsura looked down at the Yato girl suddenly.

"Are you sure Sadaharu-kun will be fine here? I don't want him to go through any pain just to get the UNO card back… although it is really very important."

"I guess Sadaharu must be opened to get it back but I'll punch you if that happens, Zura," Kagura said with a glance at the Yorozuya leader, "what do you think, Gin-chan? How do we get the cards from Sadaharu's stomach?"

"Are you for real?" Gintoki raised a finger to his snot, "you think a dog's stomach is like a piggy bank? Like some kind of a toy you can just whack open to get what's inside, you idiots? Oi," he threw a look at the black haired samurai, "stop getting these kids to think like you do, idiot. If you want to whack something open whack your skull and check if your brain hasn't melted from the lack of use."

"Shinpachi-kun," Katsura interrupted with a look at the megane boy, "can this Gengai-dono really help us?" Gintoki was stung at being ignored and Shinpachi saw that. It made him sigh.

"Well," he looked at the old mechanic, "Gengai, we know it's not really the right place but would there be any gadgets you have to check if the UNO cards are still solid? There's still a chance right? After all, his stomach doesn't easily digest things he consume… like that doll he ate before."

"I can have a nanotechnology run through his body system," the mechanic said without doubting, "but I still have to prepare it. You have to come back here tomorrow."

"No way," Katsura breathed with eyes widening, "the UNO finals is tonight… our group is about to face an unknown faction that has suddenly risen out of nowhere. I've never heard of their name but they were able to reach till finals… I have to win no matter."

"Tsk," Gintoki snorted cynically as he looked away, "still the UNO battle again huh… like it's really something deadly. Only brainless guys like you would even take that game seriously and even bother people for it."

"Gin-san…" Shinpachi bit his lower lip as he noticed the sudden cold aura emitted by the long hair samura beside him, "K-Katsura-san!"

"That UNO card is very important for me," Katsura said as he walked toward Gintoki with face expressionless, "I won't hand it in nor give up in getting it easily."

Gintoki turned his face and waited for Katsura to stand in front of him—but to his surprise, the Jouishishi leader walked past him, not even giving him a glance as he went and stood in front of Gengai.

"I will owe you a big one if I can get it back. Regardless of be it tonight or tomorrow, I will be expecting for good results." And he shook Gengai's hand.

Then Katsura turned back and walked, without giving any glance at the silver haired samurai at all.

"I will be going Leader, Shinpachi-kun," he said as he nodded at the two, "I promise I will treat you finely the next time we meet after I won this battle. I never take back my words. I am not someone who forgets to pay people's kindness nor someone who takes other people for granted. You can count on that."

"Do you mean to say like paying our salary, yes?" Kagura said as she saw the Joui leader turn, "Hey, Zura, don't be like Gin-chan, yes! Don't get infected by his ignorance to pay the rent nor his employees!"

An arrow seemed to have shot Gintoki's head as he heard this.

"I'm not such a despicable person." Katsura stopped by the doorway quietly, making Gintoki grind his teeth more but couldn't take any offense for whatever was being said was right.

"These assholes…" he muttered.

"By the way, Gengai-dono," the long haired samurai paused, "there's a piece of junk with two wheels parked at the wrong area of the street. What kind of person would not follow an easy law like that? Really…" he looked back and this time his eyes found Gintoki's, "such irresponsibility."

Two explosions were then heard outside.

Everyone heard surprise screams outside followed by black smokes. Gintoki's eyes widened as Katsura gave him a meaningful stare before heading out and disappearing from the view.

"What's that?" Shinpachi called as they all ran outside. Gintoki's eyes went bigger as he followed them.

"Don't tell me that idiot—!?" he hissed and saw for himself his motorbike— smoking on the corner of the street with its two wheels burnt black from the explosion.

"You really shouldn't have parked there," Gengai said in agreement, "but look at the good side, at least it's still in a piece."

"I think that's hardly the problem here," Shinpachi said with a concerned look on his face as he looked up at the silver haired samurai, "right now… Gin-san is extremely irritated."

Gintoki was grinding his teeth furiously as he watched the wheels of his motorbike smoke away.

"_That idiot…he's really pushing it!"_

* * *

><p>That night, Shinpachi had no appetite to eat dinner as he sat before the table with his sister inside their house.<p>

"Mm?" Shimura Otae noticed him sighing, "Shin-chan it's not right to sigh on your food. Are you still worried about Gin-san and Katsura-san's feud that's why you can't eat?"

"Well… you can say that…" the megane boy muttered as he looked over the burnt crisp of that inorganic atom lying sadly on his plate courtesy of his sister, "hey, aniue, do you think Gin-san and Katsura-san will be okay?"

"?"Otae looked up at him.

"Well," Shinpachi looked down but away from the sad black chemical in front of him, "I didn't think their fight was anything serious… but looking at Gin-san and Katsura-san's eyes just now… I could tell they were really into this little fight of them. Seriously those two… I can't believe they'd be choosing to have an argument now at their age."

"Age doesn't have anything to do with fighting," Otae suddenly said as she put her plate containing that hideous object she proudly cooked to dust, "any age… any time people can fight… especially if it's for something they believe in."

Shinpachi stared at her sister who continued with a tender look on her face

"Right now Gin-san and Katsura-san have this misunderstanding. It's only natural to fight. The more they know each other the more they accept each other's individual good points and bad points…to have someone close to you as yourself, isn't that a fine thing? With that in mind I don't think they were fighting just because they misunderstood each another. It is precisely because they understood each other better than anyone that's why they are fighting so let them fight. They've known each other from a long time… something like this won't destroy them."

"Aniue…" the megane boy felt like crying as he stared at his older sister who looked so knowledgeable at him at that time, "that's the problem here!" he went on suddenly that surprised Otae-chan, "those idiots are really destroying each other literally!"

"Shin-chan…"

"I don't think they've ever seen each other's good points, no!" Shinpachi shook his head and put a palm on his face, "right now they're only seeing each other's bad points… They are beyond each other's comprehension those two dumbasses!"

* * *

><p>Somewhere inside the Yorozuya household, Gintoki sneezed pretty loudly.<p>

"Huh?" he blinked his fish eyes, "did someone just say shitty things about me?"

"You're shitty Gin-chan." Kagura offered.

"Shut it!"

* * *

><p>On his own place, Katsura also sneezed.<p>

"Hmm?" said the person sitting in front of him, "are you getting cold, Katsura-san?"

"No," Katsura looked down at the cards in front of him and then to the cards on his own hand, "someone must've been saying shitty stuff about me. That being said… I just lost, didn't I?"

In the full view, we see Katsura seated on the tatami floor with the table in front of him full of UNO cards. There was uproar of surprise and dismay from the number of audience also seated by just behind Katsura.

"Katsura-dono lost the finals!" somebody said in hushed voices.

"No way… our faction…"

"Katsura-san!"

Elizabeth raised a blank board.

"Silence," Katsura closed his eyes for awhile to admit defeat, put his cards down and looked up seriously at the man in front of him, "I've lost the game. You are a formidable opponent considering you came from an unknown faction. Would I now have the privilege to know who you really are?"

"Hmm?" the man whose face was not seen because of his black hood raised his head a little. Behind him, dozens of his own allies were seated wearing the same black cloak and hood. "I would introduce myself shortly, but let me first remind you of our agreement before we started the finals."

Katsura's eyes narrowed.

"I do remember the agreement and I am a samurai of my word."

The unknown man paused, then smiled, "Very well then. Our agreement was that if we won the final game we would take the leader of the reigning champion to our side and make him our own member. That is also how you managed to do it with those other faction, isn't it? You take their leader out and make them your member so that those who were left behind would not have a choice but join you. That's basically how your faction keeps growing larger and larger."

"You say it with such a tone," Katsura said as he raised his eyes to the man, only seeing his glinting eyes, "My faction's only purpose was to right the ways of those lost soul who still keeps fighting endlessly and hurting innocent civilians… where as your faction…_Eye Samurai?_ I've never heard of your faction before."

"But you lost which means to say you have to _come with us._"

Katsura had no reply to that but his members were in an uproar.

"Katsura-san, what do we do?"

"We can't let our group get dissolved!"

"No, it can't be!" said another, "if Katsura-san joins them, then we have to join them too!"

"YEAHH!" shouted the Katsura faction members.

"My, my, what simpletons," said the man in black hood, "I am sorry to say but there is no need for us to gether such a large group. Only the leader is enough."

Silence and wide eyes greeted this announcement. Katsura still did not say anything.

After a second, he closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry everyone. But we must follow the rules. If you want to have me back then win the UNO championship next year."

He looked pointedly at Elizabeth who still raised a blank board.

_"What?" _the Katsura faction members all said to themselves but Katsura was no longer looking at them all. He has already averted his eyes to the unknown man in front of him and narrowed his eyes.

"And with that being said," Katsura went on, "I invite you to introduce yourself."

Silence followed the Jouishishi leader's request.

Then the man gave a sort of chuckle.

"Very well then…" putting a hand on his hood, he pulled it down and revealed a familiar face.

Every member of Katsura burst out into another ringing uproar as they saw the man whose dead looking eyes they would never forget.

"_Him!"_

_"Isn't he that…?!"_

_"From Kihetai's group!?"_

Indeed, it was none other than the master tactician of the Kihetai's group—Takechi Henpeita.

"Glad you remembered me," Henpeita said with eyes looming at Katsura, "and they don't call me a strategist for nothing."

The long haired samurai's eyes narrowed as the man continued,

"We know all along how your group would operate this competition and that how you would successfully win against smaller factions. From that a way to get in your organization would be easy if I lost but another possibility exists and that includes you losing the game. And that if you lost the game you won't have any other choice but to join us, _Kihetai._"

"Katsura-san! It's a trap!" shouted one of his member as they all grabbed their swords. Their actions were reflected by the men behind Henpeita who all raised their swords immediately.

"Now, now, we must not go resort to violence," Henpeita said as he raised a hand to stop his men, "not unless you would permit this and break your own word, Katsura-san."

They all looked back at the Jouishishi leader who was still strangely calm despite all the revelation. When he opened his mouth there was only one question on his mind.

"Did Takasugi send you?"

Henpeita's eyes glinted.

"When I presented him my plan he did not give any response. I believe he doubted you'd fall easily because of this game but here we are. He didn't tell me not to do it either but his last message made it clear to me. He told me to tell you…"

Katsura's jaw tightened as the message was said.

"'_I can show you what it means to finally reform this country.' _That's what Takasugi-sama said. But he also added that if you still prefer the belief of the Shiroyasha then—"

"That's enough." The long black haired samurai stood up with eyes closed, "don't mention his name in my presence again."

"Oh?" the Kiheitai's tactician's eyes glinted, "is what I understand right?"

Katsura opened his eyes and looked sharply at Henpeita.

"Bring me to Takasugi."

"Whhhhattt?!" all of his members cried but there was not a single glint of doubt in the Joui leader's face. Elizabeth stared at him.

"Elizabeth-san," whispered a member on his side, "is Katsura-san serious? Meeting that Takasugi… he'll get killed! This is bad, isn't it?"

But not even Elizabeth answered to that.

Henpeita's eyes gleamed in interest.

"Then… let me lead the way."

* * *

><p><strong>~To be continued~<strong>

_FRENEMIES meeting!_

_Join force in the next chapter!_

_Good luck, Gin-chan!_

**Thank you for reading!**


	3. Contempt 3

*** Too Much Familiarity Breeds Contempt***

_by: **WhiteGloves**_

_**CONTEMPT 3**_

_"Bansai. Can't you get into the groove of my song?"_~ Takasugi

"_Zura ja nai. Katsura Kotayou_~!" - DJ Ozura

_**Enjoy Reading!**_

* * *

><p>"Hmm… so you mean to tell me that Katsura joined the Kihetai's force because he lost the championship last night? I understand, I understand…" the silver haired samurai, Gintoki Sakata said with arms crossed and expression screwed inferring the idea of one thinking deeply, while nodding his head, "so… let me see… what was that again… uh…"<p>

A second passed then— bolting on his seat, the Yorozuya leader slammed his hands on the table in front of him—

"_What the hell—I don't get it at all!" _he exclaimed fiercely, "Do you mean to tell me that idiotic samurai got himself tangled up in that group just because of playing UNO? What the hell's with that idea? _What in the world have you guys been up to all this time!?_ _Who started that yearly competition!? _What kind of stupid person would actually believe that condition?! _AND WHY UNO?!"_

"Calm down, Gin-san," Shinpachi said as he tried to put a hand on the silver haired samurai with a concerned look on his face but with eyes to their visitor early that day. Opposite them sat three men wearing kimonos inside the Yorozuya household who claimed they were from Katsura's faction. "These guys came all the way here to tell us that about Katsura-san… but I can't believe Katsura-san…"

"Yeah," Kagura nodded too, who was standing behind the couch and listening intently, "who would have thought Zura would lose?"

"Hey, that's not the point here!" the megane boy exclaimed. "The fact that he joined the Kiheitai is alarming already! It doesn't matter if he's forced or not—Katsura-san will always keep his words!"

"That's why I said he's an idiot," Gintoki muttered as he looked over the Jouishishi members who all stared at him helplessly, "so? What do you want me to do? Want me to drag him back to your faction? _Forget it._ That idiot won't listen to anyone. He'd keep his word even if it meant eating his tongue. Stupid, ain't he? He might just drag anyone to hell if he's stopped, you know what I mean?"

"But Katsura-san has—"

"Oi, are you really listening?" Gintoki raised a hand on his nose with his face poker, "I said if that idiot has decided on that, he'll see it to the end. You wanna get drag to hell and get stuck there?"

The Joui members all stared at the Yorozuya leader with sweat drops at the side of their faces. Clearly what the Shiroyasha said was true as the three looked at each other.

"But…" the man's voice trailed away.

Shinpachi looked over the three Jouishishi members of Katsura's faction who all had that strange lost look on their faces after Gintoki's words. It made the megane boy feel sympathetic. He was concerned too.

"But Gin-san," Shinpachi then said with a glance at the man beside him, "doesn't it worry you that Katsura-san and Takasugi-san has now joined forces against the Bakufu?"

"Who cares about the Bakufu if I'm gonna get dragged to hell, huh?"

"_I meant,"_ Shinpachi insisted, now frowning, "while it's true the Bakufu might be facing a calamity right now because two of the Jouishishi patriots have joined forces again—what about the fact that Katsura-san might get killed by Takasugi-san?"

"Oh, then we'll get less idiot walking the earth."

"_Gin-san!"_

"It's fine to lose one idiot isn't it?" Kagura piped up. "There are still plenty popping around anyway."

"That's not the point here! Geez, you guys!" the megane boy smacked his face with his palm, "you guys absolutely have no idea just how bad things are! I'm trying to tell here—_the two most highly dangerous idiots of Edo are out there together!"_

"And if we bust after em' there'll be more idiots out there for Edo, don't you think?" Gintoki sat back with arms crossed, his face unconvinced, "forget it. I ain't dragging that idiot back to his senses. He doesn't have any of that to begin with. I'll salute Takasugi if he survives a day with Katsura hanging around."

"You're really taking this quite far, Gin-san!"

The three Jouishishi men all looked at one another, then dramatically looked down the table that made the Yorozuyas look at them.

"Katsura-san didn't leave any message to us. He just went off with those Kiheitai without another word. Even Elizabeth-san won't speak about it. Being Katsura-san's right hand man, he was the supposed leader in the absence of Katsura-san but he wouldn't leave his room and won't stop sighing while looking at his board. We're worried he has given up… but we can't do that. Our faction just cannot function without Katsura-san!"

He said it so strongly that made anyone who heard it feel moved. He glanced back at Gintoki who was already scratching his hair for all the trouble it was worth.

"I get it, fine. So what exactly do you want _us_ to do?"

"Please," one of the three Jouishishi said as he placed his hands on the table and leaned on it, "as the Shiroyasha—you're the only one we can count on to aid our leader! Katsura-san may not have asked for it—but we're worried he might get himself killed. You know that Takasugi doesn't give a damn about a friend or foe… Katsura-san… Katsura-san until now still believes Takasugi to be his comrade… that has never change. So please—if you could just aid Katsura-san until…"

"What 'aid'? Do you want me to join Kiheitai too? And do you even know where they are?"

"W-well… we've had this recent report about their ship harboring somewhere but we're still confirming it."

"That's great!" the megane boy nodded with new hope, "so we do know where to start after all! Isn't that great, Gin-san?"

"What's so good about it when we're all gonna get drag to hell?"

"Why do you always have to mention getting dragged to hell?"

"Because we're getting dragged right into it now because of that brainless idiot." Gintoki gave a loud sigh, "You guys— Zura's not a kid anymore, you understand? He ain't someone you should all worry about; I'm more bothered about bothering after him. Haven't it crossed your minds that maybe he's already plotting something against Takasugi? No. It's not a _maybe_. Katsura _hates _Takasugi. That brings back memories when that guy tried to burn his hair. Katsura won't get fooled. He's the kingdom of all _fools._ And even if Takasugi does try to kill him, you know that weirdo won't let himself get killed just like that. He's not _Katsura_ for nothing."

This poignant point seemed to startle the men around while the Yorozuya leader put a finger inside his nose.

"And I don't know about you guys but Zura's a pretty predictable person sometimes, don't you think? I'll bet you all my penny for my pachinko that while we're all here worrying bout' him, he's already out on his own world and doing _that._"

"By '_that'_… you mean…" Shinpachi muttered as silence followed his statement with a sweat drop on his cheek, "G-Gin-san… y-you can't be serious…" but everyone's stillness was like a silent agreement.

* * *

><p>Katsura's face was serious. Dead serious.<p>

He was deciding on something that was making him sweat and making his face contort into full attention. It was a dire matter. Life and death.

His fingers itched. His eyes twitched.

He looked at the _hand_ offered to him and then made eye contact with his opponent.

But it was all futile—there was nothing to see in his opponent's eyes except pure darkness.

Katsura bit his lip and closed his eyes.

He then picked the left card and pulled it towards him. His eyes did not change. There was still no change on his _hand_. The former Joui leader licked his lips as this time his opponent chose a card from him.

Tension built up inside him. It made him gulp. Especially when the opponent predictably smiled. Katsura closed his eyes. This was his _defeat._ This was the result of his choices.

This was the maddening experience in _UNO_. The feeling he could never let go.

And he had lost yet again to the same person.

"Too bad, Katsura-san," Henpeita said as he put his cards down and raised the only remaining card on his hand while the long haired samurai was still holding two, "you lost the battle again."

"True," Katsura said after a moment of reflection as he put his card down and look, "It just means to say even a great player like me can still find an opponent. Who would have thought that it would be in your character, Henpeita-dono. Still…"

He gathered the cards and started shuffling them again.

"I wouldn't lose."

"Y-you want another game…?" the tactician of the Kiheitai stared at the long haired samurai with disbelief on his face.

"Yes. Why, do you not want to play?"

"Ah… no… it's just that… it's our seventh game since we came here…"

"That cannot be helped. That bastard Takasugi just as usual is making me wait. He never changed that attitude of his. That bastard from way back had always made his visitors wait inside that large mansion of a house of his. He's always been a spoiled brat back then, I tell you…"

"It's no wonder you call Takasugi-sama a bastard but I suggest not to overdo it… but I'd still like to hear what he's like when he was still a kid, if you don't mind."

"I have no problem relaying it. You're the first person to ask me of that. I've always thought nobody would like to hear Takasugi's story because of his nasty attitude as a kid."

"Funny. I can imagine him a nasty kid."

"He's nasty and rude. And very self proclaimed. He'd act so quiet when our sensei was around and then in the next minute would engage in bickers with Gintoki or me. I've never seen such a high and mighty brat."

"Indeed, Takasugi-sama does have an air of superiority, don't you think?"

"No. It's his lack of delicacy—"

Just then they heard heavy footsteps come rushing from outside the room followed by a voice of a female shouting angrily at the top of her lungs—

"_SENPAI!"_

"Oh?" the Kiheitai tactician glanced behind Katsura, "they've returned."

The shoji door was kicked open, followed by sounds of gun getting pointed and the next thing we see a yellow haired woman wearing a pale red short kimono with her bellybutton exposed, standing behind the former Jouishishi leader with gun pointed at the back of his head.

"_Kaaatsuraaa!" _the woman said through grinded teeth, "teme, you think I've forgotten what you did back in that ship with Benizakura!"

"Matako-chan," the tactician said quietly—

"_Senpai, what's the meaning of this!?" _the woman raged on with the guns still pointed at the Joui leader, "why did you bring this man here, you know how dangerous he is! What if he's already informed his men of our whereabouts?"

"You're too hot headed," Henpeita said calmly, "this man is already a member of our organization."

"Who the hell are you joking with?" the blonde woman turned her sharp eyes at the long haired samurai, "this guy here is _Katsura!_ The man who kept on getting in Shinsuke-sama's way! Bringing him here of all people—I won't accept that!"

She turned the revolver of her gun but Katsura remained unresponsive.

"That's precisely why I recruited him," Henpeita answered with eyes unblinking, "to remove the biggest obstacle in Takasugi-sama's way. And an honorable samurai like this man would never turn on his words. That's the good thing about samurais. They never break their word. Isn't that right, Katsura-san?"

The former Jouishishi member still did not respond but he did open his eyes to stare at the table in front of him. His silence irked the blonde girl more who gritted her teeth but then after awhile, pulled her gun back and spat on the open veranda's ground.

"I still don't approve of him being here. I'll keep my eyes on you!" she warned as she walked toward her ally, "I'm not sure if Shinsuke-sama would be happy about this. He might just kill this guy off the bat."

"Oh, I'm sure Takasugi has better manners than that," Katsura finally said with expression unreadable, "nah, Takasugi?"

Both Henpeita and Matako looked at the man standing behind Katsura with his sharp sword at hand and pointing behind the long haired samurai's neck. His only eye was livid and there was a glint of something menacing on it. His grin was also somewhat unsettling, like a predator that has found a good prey.

"Oi. What are you doing here, Katsura?" Takasugi said in his usual tone, his sword not leaving the long haired samurai's neck, "Don't tell me that card game of yours really brought you here? Are you really an idiot?"

"An idiot for me would be someone who does not keep his word," Katsura said, not moving on his spot, "and another idiot would be _you_ who actually invited me here regardless of believing that card game or not. Wasn't it you who said you'll show me how to reform this country?"

The Kiheitai leader raised his chin.

"Like you can see this world the way I see it."

"Then you're the idiot who doesn't keep his word."

"Then I'm the idiot that will also cut your head off."

Tension rose in the air that made the tactician looked from one samurai to another.

"So this is how these compatriots greet each other, huh?"

"Hmp," the gunslinger snorted, "I told you he'll be killed off the bat. Serves him right. Who does he think he's fooling trying to spy on Takasugi-sama himself. Like his plan isn't crystal clear already. Is he really an idiot?"

"Shame then," Henpeita said with eyes still fixed on the two, "I would have enjoyed the company of another reasonable person here in this place."

"Senpai, that's not being a feminist anymore."

"Did you notice how his hair was better cared off than yours?"

"Something's seriously wrong with you, senpai."

Seconds passed and neither of the two former Jouishishi compatriots moved a muscle. Takasugi's sword still glinted right at Katsura's neck. Everything was still for a moment…

It was Katsura who first broke their silence.

"I had become a member of your group, Takasugi. I didn't think you'd feel that inconvenient because of that."

"Heh?" the one eyed man said, "isn't that the same as me asking for a death wish?"

"You're too wary of me when you're the one with the sword."

"The likes of you don't need a sword to bite, Zura."

"It's not Zura. It's Katsura."

"Shinsuke-sama!" the gunslinger shouted in surprise when the Kiheitai leader finally pulled his sword back and unsheathed it, "w-what are you…?"

Takasugi kept his eye at the long haired samurai's neck, its mysterious glint not disappearing.

"One wrong move and I'll cut you, Zura."

"The same goes for you," the former Joui patriot leader said with eyes still close. "If you cannot show me how to finally reform this country you'll have to answer by my sword."

"Teme, you dare threaten Shinsuke-sama!" Matako shouted with a fist raised.

"Let him be." a grin spread on Takasugi's face, "Claiming to be a member of the Kiheitai, you've gotten full of yourself, Zura. But unlike in your little Jouishishi family game, I'm more assertive with changes. You're group has done _nothing, _Katsura. _Now_ that you're in my group you do as I say exactly as I say it and you'll see some results you haven't seen before. We'll see how far you can go."

He chuckled as he turned around to leave with his pipe at hand. Katsura opened his eyes.

"Takasugi…"

"Oh, and by the way," the Kiheitai leader said as he paused by the entrance, "prepare yourself. We'll go greet _someone_ for our reunion."

Katsura's expression did not change.

* * *

><p>"I don't get it…" Shinpachi said as he walked beside the Yorozuya leader in the middle of the street of Kabuki that night with people walking around them. They had just come out from one of the shops they thought could provide them secret information but found nothing. The two of them had been on the prowl for Katsura's scent hours after meeting the Jouishishi members. The men have long been gone after the Shiroyasha's promise of aid once they have confirmed the whereabouts of the Kiheitai group.<p>

But the air was still full of the silver haired samurai's pessimism regarding the matter.

"Why would Katsura-san decide to join Takasugi-san now? Do you think it has something to do with you two arguing, Gin-san?"

"How the hell should I know? And is that how poorly you think of us adults?"

"I can't say anymore since you're both huge idiots."

"Tsk," the silver haired samurai looked away, "the matter's different, different! We're not little kids that jump from one friend who has candy to another."

"Well, isn't that as they say—your enemy's enemy is your friend?"

"How twisted can that saying be? Even my enemy's enemy is just another enemy, idiot. And as far as I'm concerned Katsura and Takasugi will never get along. Why doesn't anyone believe me?"

"But it already happened, Gin-san. Katsura-san has joined his force."

"Yeah, and I don't understand why Takasugi would even consider taking him. Isn't he the real idiot?"

Shinpachi sighed and decided to look ahead.

"Forget it. I don't think you'll ever take their join force seriously anyway. Where are we anyway? Is this really a good idea, Gin-san? To search here for those two…"

"Of course," Gintoki answered with his fish like eyes transfixed ahead quietly. "_searching_ starts with looking."

"_But you're just looking!"_

"You're noisy," Gintoki put his little finger inside his ears with expression unchanging, "we're doing the best we could to search for them alright?"

"Like hell we'll find them walking around Kabuki! These are two wanted men we're looking for!"

"Use your imagination, Patsuu," Gintoki went on, "those two idiots wouldn't be found sitting together and drinking. Unlike me, they are men of action. They prefer all the muscle tensing and extraneous activities."

"I don't think you should be proud about that fact."

"Point is—walking around at night looking for them has the highest possibility of finding them."

"Do you think we're looking for dogs?"

"Uh, speaking of the dog devils," Gintoki and Shinpachi stopped to see a mobile car of Shinsengumi stop by one of the cabaret clubs. Kondo Isao, the Captain of the Shinsengumi came out first, followed by Okita Sougo and then the Shinsengumi Vice Captain, Hijikata Toushiro.

"Do you think they have information about Katsura-san and Takasugi-san, Gin-san?" Shinpachi asked as they watched more cars parked around the area, "uh… I take that back… they must've known otherwise they wouldn't send in such a number of police, right?"

"I have another idea about that," Gintoki replied as then his eyes followed a long, black car, pulled out in front of the cabaret too with that familiar symbol, "another bad idea."

And the long black car's door opened and out came—

_ "It's the freaking Shogun!" _Gintoki hissed as out came Shige-shige, also known as the Shogun of Edo, in his elegant blue kimono and particular hair style.

"It's the Shogun-sama," Shinpachi said as he watched the highest man in authority of Edo walk in front of the cabaret with Matsudaira Katakuriko, "Ah—it's aniue!"

The two Yorozuyas watched as Shimura Tae, in her elegant but never changing yukata, went and meet the Shogun with a smile on her face, albeit unfamiliar of whom he was. Shige-shige-sama took something from his coat and gave it to the lady of the cabaret—what appeared to be a paper lantern. The two talked for awhile and then started moving. The Shinsengumi were right behind them as they all went in the cabaret.

"Are they all really blind? I feel sorry for the Shogun. Who'd want to sit by a plank girl like that?" Gintoki suddenly muttered but then something caught his attention that made his eyes go round—

"That's my sister, Gin—"

_BLAST!_

The megane boy didn't finish his words because just then—a loud ear splitting explosion was heard around Kabuki that nearly shook the grounds— making him fall down the ground in surprise.

Panic rose in the air and for a second, everything was full of confusion as people run from here to there shouting and crying around. The black cloud of smoke made it also difficult to identify what was going on—

"Ughh… *cough cough*… W-what the heck…" the megane boy raised his head from the ground as the smoke slowly fade away and he could still hear people running and screaming, "t-this attack…!"

But Shinpachi's eyes widen when he finally realized where the explosion had come from. It was from the entrance of the cabaret where he saw the Shogun, the Shinsengumi and his sister was just standing.

"The Shogun!" shouted a police, "save the Shogun!"

"A-aniue!" Shinpachi shouted in horror as he quickly dashed toward the spot where the Shinsengumi squad was also running. The entrance of the cabaret was fully destroyed and the police were all taking out the debris that had buried the people under.

"Aniue!" Shinpachi shouted, pushing pass the Shinsengumi in black uniform as he jumped and helped out in taking the debris, "Aniue!"

"Hey—get out of there!" one of the men said, grabbing the megane boy under the arm and pulling him but Shinpachi wouldn't budge, "Hey, kid—that's dangerous!"

"Let me go, damn you! My sister's under there! Gin-san! Gin-san, aniue was—!?" he looked around him but found no sign of the Yorozuya leader.

"Hey, something's under this heavy one!" shouted a man and Shinpachi felt his nerves go numb as he saw an object right underneath what the men were all trying to take out.

It was a paper lamp.

It made Shinpachi's breathing stop for a second.

* * *

><p>A dark alley where only cats amply stayed was disturbed by a silent passing shadow.<p>

The shadow did not pause as it went by, not even stopping for the cats that meowed at his familiar scent. His footsteps were light like that of shinobis though his art was a bit different.

He was wearing a kasa hat, covering his head protectively from prying eyes. His hair was also long and _dark_ and it was quite impressive how he could hide himself well in the middle of that night.

Yet he was not able to escape completely, for then he felt another footstep just right behind him.

"Oi…" said the familiar voice of the Yorozuya leader who appeared like a light in the middle of the shadow because of his silver hair, "you don't think you can just run away after that terrorism, do you?"

The long haired man stopped on his tracks. Then he turned to meet the silver haired man's eyes.

"I don't think it's that surprising considering _I am Katsura,_ the terrorist."

He turned to fully face Gintoki with his eyes set. The Yorozuya leader eyed him too and for a long moment, the two former compatriots stared at one another.

Then Gintoki broke the silence.

"What are you doing, Zura? Wearing that dress and attacking the Shogun in the middle of the night… you seriously want the heavens to punish you?"

"Like you alone believed in something like heaven."

"Oi, don't make me the one feeling guilty here. And damn you, those people could have gotten seriously hurt."

"That was my intention."

"If intention alone could kill you would have died a long time ago, Zura."

"It's not Zura. It's Katsura. And what is so wrong about me attacking the Shogun? Isn't that what I have been doing all this time?"

Gintoki's face somewhat changed into a grim.

"Don't push it, Zura. What the hell's up with you and Takasugi, huh? You suddenly want some new air? Even you wouldn't be forgiven for hurting people... you know what that means, don't you?"

Silence from the former Joui leader who eyed the silver haired samurai.

"You do realize you are hindering me on my way, don't you, Gintoki?"

The silver haired samurai smirked.

"Why? Already excited to see your _new master?_ Is he going to give you treats for your job well done?"

Katsura's eyes turned sharply at the man in front of him.

"Don't insult me more than you already have, Gintoki. Even as a former comrade, I would not hesitate to cut you."

Gintoki grinned but there was an impatient vein pounding on his cheek.

"Now you're speaking just like him. Is this how contagious Takasugi is? And all this time I was thinking you were just playing dumb with him. So you were really serious…?"

An eyebrow arched from the long haired samurai.

"Since when have I not been serious about my words?"

"That's the actual problem I see…that's why I keep saying you're an _idiot_. "

"Enough. I don't have time for you, Gintoki." The Joui leader stated with face solemn, his eyes transfixed and resolved, "You're not someone I should be listening to anymore. You're no samurai. Why don't you go home and mind your calories?"

"You're the one who needs to get sent back home." The Yorozuya leader stood his ground, "d'you know how your members bugged me to help you? You moron?"

"I don't need to be helped," Katsura turned away with a side look at the silver haired samurai, "and certainly I don't need to worry about them anymore. Tell them to quit looking for me. I am now in Takasugi's group after all."

Gintoki's eyes narrowed as he saw two shadows appear beside Katsura. He noticed also another man behind them who was wearing what appeared to be earphones on his head. Gintoki recognized him instantly.

"Y-you!"

Kawakami Bansai stood beside Katsura with his eyes unseen because of his glasses.

"He's calling you." He told the long haired samurai then eyed Gintoki who was then looking at them with a new pounding vein at the side of his face.

"Heh?" Gintoki smirked, "new pals, eh?"

Katsura gave a final look at the Yorozuya leader before turning away.

"Oi, Zura!"

"Gintoki," Katsura said with his back at him, "I… will see Takasugi's plan with my own eyes. This may be a good opportunity for me to see if with our hands together once more, we can change _Edo."_

Sakata Gintoki's eyes widened as Katsura left with only his hair dancing behind him into the darkness of the alley.

"Oi!" he called again but Bansai covered Katsura's back.

"We meet again." He said, his expression as placid as ever, "I hear you. You strongly believe in Katsura, don't you? That's your rhythm. But let me tell you, too, that I can also hear Katsura's rhythm. I hear no lie in his beat. Take my word for it—he really intends to follow Takasugi this time."

The silver haired samurai gave no reply to that. Bansai gave him one final look before following after the long haired samurai's footsteps.

"What's that supposed to mean?" the Yorozuya leader said after a few moments when more men in dark clothes appeared before him, "_you got a radio in your brain or something?"_

But as men scattered around and surrounded him, the Yorozuya leader had no other choice but to step back. He watched them move close in. He stood his ground.

"It's no use following them," said one of the men in black dress, "They'll be heading to the ship shortly and there's nothing you can do about it once they reach outside this country. Stay put and you might live."

"Unfortunately," the silver haired man started as he pulled out his sword, "I ain't planning on following neither you nor them. That idiot Katsura's shitting around too seriously. This ain't funny anymore."

"There's nothing you can do about it, is there?" said one of the blackened dressed samurai who pointed his sword at the lone man in white.

A smirk spread on Gintoki's face.

"Who says I'm gonna do anything about it? Do I look like someone who'll do something about it? What do I care about it? Strange isn't it?"

He whipped his sword around and all the men surrounding him fell down unconscious.

And the Shiroyasha's eyes continued to glint in the darkness of the night.

_"Hell am I going to do anything, right?"_

* * *

><p><strong>~To be continued~<strong>

_Gintoki's plan?_

_Katsura's plan?_

_Takasugi's plan?_

_(All because Zura was badly left out in the Shogun Assassination Arc!__)_

**Thank you for reading!**


	4. Contempt 4

*** Too Much Familiarity Breeds Contempt***

_by: **WhiteGloves**_

_**CONTEMPT 4**_

_"Say hello to Yoshida-sensei for me."- _Takasugi

_**Enjoy Reading!**_

* * *

><p>Takasugi stood alone with his shadow on the ground as he stared up the night sky where the moon hung up full and golden. It was the man's favorite sight. It was not the orb's luminous light that got him mystified however, but the demonic glow it was emitting towards the sky like an omen of some sort; it was his lucky charm.<p>

Then came the clouds and covered it, covering him as well in darkness.

The lone man stood still for awhile, gazing at it in where appeared to be a roof top of a five storey building. Some minutes ago he heard the first sign of explosion around the city. It made him smile but not at all satisfied. Now he was only expecting them to come.

He did not wait for long as he heard footsteps climbing up the stairs and voices speaking.

"Bansai-dono," came Katsura's voice, "are you listening? Why did you bring me here? You know, Gintoki is not likely to be stopped by those henchmen of ours… we must make haste and leave this town. Though his appearance is like that of a lost boy who has forgotten to pick up his manners he is still the fearsome Shiroyasha… he might get in our way."

"Do you fear facing him?" the voice of the mysterious samurai said so, "You sound like you want to avoid him, even escape him. Knowing you were comrades… do you not want to fight your old comrade?"

"My fear does not lie whether we were former comrades or not. I do not think fighting him just now was needed in our plan. What more, we have our schedule. Gintoki's interference might destroy it all. Have you not noticed that? Most of the people who planned to attack Edo for any cause who faces him— end up getting _destroyed._"

"Then you are saying… if we want _Edo _to crumble to pieces we must first _destroy _him?"

The footsteps reached the top floor and Takasugi heard Katsura spoke just right behind him.

"I believe Takasugi already _knew _that from the very beginning."

The one eyed man could just feel the long haired samurai's eyes boring on his back. It made him chuckle as he blew smoke from his pipe and let the ringing silence be filled with sirens of police cars from somewhere around the district.

Takasugi didn't turn.

"Gintoki, huh?" the Kiheitai leader's eyes gleamed, "so you've met? Then? Did you cut him?"

Katsura's expression did not change.

"You specifically told me to greet the Shogun only. I never heard anything about cutting a man just because he got in my way. And between the two of us…I do not think it wise to engage him in battle. You know how problematic that man is, Takasugi."

The one eyed man finally turned around to face the two samurais. His livid eyes found the long haired Jouishishi and the smile he gave was enough to make anyone who saw him tremble.

"You sound like you feel inferior to him. Don't be so noble, Zura."

"No, I never said that. Don't put me in the same level as him or I'll cut you."

"Say that again and I'll cut you."

Both hands were fast on the hilt of their swords but nobody withdrew. The tension between them grew and the two samurais eyed each other with glints on their eyes.

"You two are oddly harmonious." Bansai suddenly said, making the two Jouishishi patriots look at him oddly as if he said something deadly. "?"

Then slowly, Katsura straightened and closed his eyes.

"Let's not waste time. I have already sent our greeting to the Shogun and his dogs. At the moment Edo is in panic… though I doubt much if they find this attack surprising. The Shinsengumi are never caught off guard. Actually, Okita Sogo-kun, if you know him, adversely sent a canon hollering in my position at the same moment the bomb was detonated."

Takasugi gave him a calculating glance.

"So in the end, you're saying that you failed?"

"Not necessarily. I did send them our message."

"…"

_[Back at the cabaret…]_

Shinpachi was wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his dirty dress, leaving black marks on his face.

"Shin-chan, look at your face, you're a mess." Shimura Tae said with a sisterly smile as she sat beside him and wiped his face with her clean handkerchief. "That won't do, Shin-chan. You have to act like a man."

"B-but, aniue…" the megane boy sniffed, with teary eyed, "you nearly got…"

"It's alright, I wasn't hurt, right? It's thanks to the police around that I'm here."

"That's right, Shinpachi-kun," came Kondo Isao's sudden voice who stepped in close to them. The megane boy looked at the Commanding Officer of the Shinsengumi—

"K-Kondo-san!?" Shinpachi cried in surprise as the man's whole face looked swollen as if large bees had bitten him, "w-what happened to you? Did the terrorists get you that bad?"

"Ah yah, don't over react, Shinpachi-kun," Kondo laughed out loud as he puffed his chest out, "those petty terrorists won't get me easily! No, no these are just some lovely scratches I got from saving someone!"

"Those are not _lovely scratches!_ Kondo-san it looks like somebody made you a punching bag!"

"Oh, but I was willing to accept these, after all, they are all from my lovely one—nah, Otae-san?"

He looked favorably at the megane boy's sister but found a demon instead.

"You're talking to me, _bastard_?" she muttered in sweet whisper, her eyes sparkled red as she got up and grabbed the bench next to them for they were sitting nearby the explosion sight where lots of police cars were ringing red and blue.

"A- aniue…" a sweatdrop fell down the megane boy's head as he watched the two ran around with benches and police cars getting pulled up by his sister who was shouting at the top of her voice.

"_Don't dare jump at me like that again, you damn gorillaaaa!"_

_"But Otae-san, if I hadn't done that you would have been hurt!"_

_"Does squeezing the life out of me with that gorilla body of yours not counted as 'hurt'!?"_

_"O-Otae-san! Y-you—you just turned me ON!"_

_"GO TO HELLLL!"_

_"Yahhh!"_

Shinpachi just sighed as he watched this and was arranging his glasses when he noticed a black haired man in the Shinsengumi uniform standing nearby with a cigarette on his lips.

"Hijikata-san…" he started, "it's a good thing you were all quick before the explosion occurred."

Hijikata Toushiro stared at the cabaret that exploded with narrowed eyes.

"Those damn terrorists are toying with us." He grabbed something white and wooden on the floor, "those Jouishishi likes to play tag… I'll make sure to put them all in the bag."

"…where's the Shogun?"

"The Shogun's already sent back the castle with Sogo's team and Yamazaki's already sniffing on the information about these damn terrorists… _I hate their guts._"

The black haired man raised his eyes with veins evilly pounding at the side of his cheek. Shinpachi followed his eyes and saw what appeared to be a banner hanging just at the front door of the destroyed cabaret.

"_Those bastards…!" _Hijikata gritted his teeth more that crunched his smoke stick while the megane boy read the sign on the banner with a sweat drop at the side of his face.

"Really… there's no doubt," the boy muttered with an exasperated sigh, "this is the work of Katsura-san."

And the banner read—_GREETINGS TO THE SHOGUN. FROM TAKASUGI X KATSURA. NOW A TEAM._

Silence filled the air as the two stared at the doodles under the banner with a small head with one eye and another head with long hair. The banner, seemed to them, was oozing with audacity.

_"I'll kill those bastards."_ Hijikata vowed with eyes dark.

"You really don't know what's working in his mind, that idiot." Shinpachi muttered with leveled eyes. "causing havoc and letting the whole Edo know it's them… even hurting my sister…what's he thinking?"

"What do you know about them?" the Vice Captain turned to him sharply. "Sogo swore he saw Katsura just now and that was why he opened fire."

"Uh… nothing… I'm really not sure… he's random… Katsura-san."

"Tsk. And what about your leader? That damn Shiroyasha hiding in his dumb face. Where is he in the middle of this? That idiot's should be the one to face those two other idiots."

"You mean Gin-san?" the megane boy frowned a little, "I don't know. He just vanished right after the explosion…"

"Tsk. He's really useless now."

"Hijikata-san?"

"I'll definitely arrest them all. All Jouishishi that is. Including that white haired bastard."

"Ugh.."

But just as the air was calming—there it was again—a second _BLAST—earsplitting and earth shaking sound that sent the dark nights red and aflame._

Sirens all around Edo began to double up and speeding police cars came rushing into the streets with citizens running here and there, hiding in their houses.

"W-what…?" Shinpachi muttered with glasses reflecting the large billow of smoke that was coming from another part of the district, "t-there's more?"

Hijikata stared, and then ran toward his police mobile. Kondo appeared right next to him while Shimura Tae stood beside Shinpachi.

"Toushi! What was that?"

Hijikata listened on the report from the radio and quickly turned to his Captain.

"An alley three blocks from here just suddenly exploded."

"_What?"_

The Shimuras and Kondo stared at the Vice captain while Shinpachi felt another sweat drop slid down his chin, his mind racing toward one person.

_Gin-san!_

[_Back at the rooftop]_

Bansai gazed at the area where the second explosion occurred.

"That alley…" he muttered, remembering the place where they encountered the silver haired samurai.

"But of course, a samurai must always be prepared if his plan is thwarted," Katsura was explaining with his face expressionless, "therefore another bomb has to be planted."

"Oh?" Takasugi looked mildly interested at the place where another black smoke was coming from, his eye reflecting the orange ink up the sky "Not hesitating to destroy the enemy before you… as expected of you, Zura. You really know your job."

The long haired samurai closed his eyes.

"It's not Zura. It's Katsura. I think that would stop Gintoki and give us time."

"Why? That idiot isn't planning to run after you, is he?"

"There's no reason for him to do that. But just in case—keeping him in his place for the time being would assure us of success…In any case, Takasugi," the long haired samurai turned to the one eyed man before him, "tell me what purpose do we stand here now and what… is that figure of a man doing over there?"

He threw a look at a silhouette of a man hidden by the shadows on Takasugi's left side.

"So you noticed?" the Kiheitai leader turned his deadly gaze on the man, exactly as the moonlight shone again, revealing the unfamiliar man tied on a chair with something on his mouth to stop him from making any sound. The three men walked toward him with the long haired samurai wondering what it was about.

As they stop in front of him, the man tied on the chair looked up in horror as Takasugi's gleaming eyes found him. Katsura frowned at the man; especially when he saw that he was rather old and wearing a cloth of a government official.

"What is the meaning of this? Who is he?"

"This is the real reason we're here... the reason you had to greet the Shogun alone." Takasugi said with his pipe suddenly falling down the ground—and then in the next beat— withdraw his sword and aimed it at the unknown man's neck as quickly as light—

_*PANG*_

Swords clashed as Katsura appeared with his sword at hand in front of the old man whose eyes began to water when his life just flashed before him, making him weak and fidget.

"Oh?" Takasugi's eyes glinted as he crossed swords with the long haired samurai, "betraying me already, Zura?"

Katsura looked undauntedly at the man's eyes, his own eyes glinting.

"I'm sorry but I don't make it a hobby to watch helpless men die before me no matter which side of the earth I may be in. That is my samurai code. And you—have you really forgotten what Shouyo-sensei taught us? _To never raise a sword against those who do not fight back?_"

The Kiheitai leader smirked.

"Well… isn't that grand? You plan to protect someone who's the very reason we don't have that person anymore?"

Katsura's eyes widened. Takasugi chuckled at his reaction.

"Really. _Ignorance is bliss._"

Making Katsura's jaw tighten and his eyes to narrow down.

"What do you mean?"

Takasugi forced his blade on the man but Katsura was no push over.

"Get out of the way."

"Cutting a man on a whim? Explain yourself first—_Takasugi_!"

Bansai was amid the two yet he looked so unconcerned with whatever was occurring. The two Jouishishi patriots stood there, frozen by their swords with both eyes staring deadly at each other. It felt like the swords were both itching to cut the other yet both knew too that no swing would make a pass on their owners.

It was an edgy fight. Finally, Takasugi spoke at last.

"Zura… have you forgotten that day… when we found _sensei's_ _head?_"

"…" Katsura grinded his teeth, "like I could ever forget…"

Takasugi looked demented just then.

"We had to face the ugly truth of his death… and do you know who the people behind his death were? It's not the Amantos alone… it's the government official themselves. _Humans, _Zura. Not Amantos. The government officials themselves. That man behind you… _He was one of them who betrayed this country and directly ordered the 'purge' of the samurais."_

The former Jouishishi leader's eyes rounded and his eyes flickered.

"Protect him? Don't fuck around. If you want to change this country…" Takasugi went on and in a second, his hand caught Katsura's sword hand, pulled it and dragged it backwards—until Katsura felt his blade dig deep on a flesh followed by a helpless moan. "You might as well want to focus on those beasts clothed in human flesh and _finish them all._"

Blood splattered on the ground as then the Kiheitai leader jerked Katsura's hand sword and off came flying their hostage's head—

Takasugi stood still just beside Katsura whose face was darkened by the shadow.

"Your blade will be wasted if you don't use them on the right enemy," he said, turning around and picking his pipe from the ground, "running around aimlessly… wake up, Katsura. This world isn't as sweet as you pretend it to be. This world's humans aren't as humane as you thought them to be. Samurai code?"

The one eyed man paused with Bansai behind him—then continued—

"Samurais have been purged out a long time ago together with their idealistic codes. Now comes what is real. And reality is telling us to finish them all by the same samurai skill that we have left."

And he walked away. Bansai stood still to stare at the long haired samurai, definitely listening to his rhythm, before following the Kiheitai leader toward the door and out of sight.

Katsura looked down his blade and to the blood on it. Then his eyes fell on the head that fell on his left side.

Silence overtook him.

And the moon continued shining above, watching over his gloomy realization.

* * *

><p>"Please, Hijikata-san!" Shinpachi exclaimed early the next morning as the megane boy found himself on the street and next to the patrol car of the Shinsengumi. The chaos last night had subsided with damages on properties but no actual civilian lost.<p>

At least—except for one.

"Gin-san has not yet returned home since last night according to Kagura-chan!" the megane boy continued with a firm grip on the car door of the police car, "I've visited all the pachinko houses and even some other open cabarets but they said they haven't seen him so please—just help me find him! He can be put up as a missing person or—or missing kid if you want to put that, but just lend me a hand!"

"What are you talking about, idiot?" the Vice Captain of the Shinsengumi answered curtly, "do you know how full our hands are right now without adding that bastard on the list? He's an adult, he can take care of himself."

"But!"

"No can do. We have no time looking for a childish man like that when we're hunting two more troublesome bastards. To make it short we've got plenty of other things to do."

"Oh?" Sogo peered at Shinpachi from inside the car, "have you tried having that large dog sniff him out of his hole? Or maybe you can ask that china girl to sniff him out instead, see—she's no different than her pet."

"She'd kill you if she hears you say that," the megane boy muttered to himself, "a-anyways! I'm really worried about Gin-san… especially after that second explosion last night."

"About that," the Vice Captain, Hijikata blew smoke from his stick, "there were unidentified dead bodies on that area too… he could be one of them."

"N-no way…" Shinpachi's eyes flickered as he shook his head, "that can't be… but then again… if he was facing Katsura-san…"

"You mean to tell me," Sogo said beside Hijikata, "that those two idiots are killing each other now? Isn't that interesting?"

"No—that's not interesting at all!" the megane boy shouted with hands turning to fists, "Katsura-san is Gin-san's closest childhood friend! They can't be… they can't be fighting each other to death like that!"

"Even if you say that," the black haired Shinsengumi looked at the boy from the corner of his eyes, "the fact that Katsura joined Takasugi already means your leader was set aside regardless of everything."

"That's cool with me," Sogo shrugged his head, "I've always wanted to see a show down between _dana_ and those two other Jouishishi patriots. Now that would be a battle royale, don't you think? Well, a battle without me in it would be pointless so I guess I'd join and finish all of them."

"Being cocky again, aren't you?" Hijikata snorted and turned the engine on, "anyways, sorry we cannot help. I'm not sure what happened to him but I doubt much he's dead. You don't think so too, do you? So why don't you get home and wait for him there? I'm sure that bastard's just hanging around somewhere waiting to be given a milk. Tsk. What a kid. We''re going."

"Not like _dana_ will be finished off easily by either Katsura or Takasugi, right? Oh right—_they joined forces_ so maybe there'll be a different ending to this." Sogo called as his eyes glinted meaningfully while the car moved aaway, setting Shinpachi's heart into despair.

"N-no way…"

* * *

><p>Takasugi heard the automatic door open behind him as he stood inside the control room of the Kiheitai ship with an eye on the vast expanse of the space. Their ship has left the ground for almost half a day and now what was in front of them was the dark galaxy. Then appeared his tactician.<p>

"He is really unbelievable, that Katsura," Henpeita said as he stood beside the one eyed man, "the moment he returned from Edo he immediately asked for an UNO game then played with me without saying a word. What's up with him? He looked as if he killed somebody for the first time. With that kind of distraction he'd never win against me. This is his twelfth lost."

The Kiheitai leader didn't speak for awhile as he stared at the monitor of the ship.

"Do you see that?" he then asked after a few seconds, his eyes lingering on the monitor, "that lone ship approaching us from the back?"

"Hmm?" Henpeita looked at the monitor too and he understood, "isn't that Matako-chan's ship? So she succeeded, huh? What will you do now? Will you continue with the test?" he turned to the leader whose only eye did not leave the screen.

Takasugi's eye glinted. Then it turned on the next screen that was just next to the one they were watching awhile ago. It made him smile and give his mad chuckle.

"So they approach us too."

Henpeita's eyes followed Takasugi's.

"Huh… that ship in front…? Could it be…?"

"Call Bansai." The Kiheitai leader said, his eyes following the approaching ship with a diamond like flag ahead of them who was still good for many hours away from them.

It was the _Harusame._

* * *

><p>Inside his own quarters, Katsura pulled something from under his bed.<p>

It was a box. On top of the box he placed his sword and then silently sat in front of it with his back straight, his hands placed neatly on his legs, and his eyes closed.

After a moment of long pause, Katsura opened his eyes and stared at his sword again.

Hours ago it was filled with blood of someone he _should've _hated and hunted.

Instead of hunting those innocent members of the _Bakufu_—for there are real ones like that— he should have spent his efforts on _them._ Takasugi was right. He was merely wasting his time playing around.

He kept his eyes on his sword and his expression somewhat change, especially when he remembered that head _his_ sword severed… and then the _head_ of his beloved sensei in front of him that caused him eternal grief… that caused for his friends to change the way they did.

And the Joui leader's eyes flickered.

* * *

><p>Somewhere inside the Kiheitai ship, a pail of water rolled with its content spilling on the floor as a Kiheitai member walking by accidentally tipped it over.<p>

"Oi!" the unknown Kiheitai shouted angrily as he turned to look at the only person aside from him on the aisle, "watch where you put this pail, you idiot! Now look what you've done to my dress! Stupid janitor!"

And he marched away, seething in anger.

"Huh?" the janitor, who was wearing a green cap to cover his unruly silver hair and altogether wearing a green suit looked up with his blank face and expression but the Kiheitai samurai was already grumbling away in a bad mood. "What was that about? He was the one who kicked it, wasn't he?"

The janitor picked up the empty pail.

"Now look what he's done. Now I've gotta clean this place all over again." He muttered with a hand on his waist, then after awhile the man in green suit straightened and put a hand on his cap and tipped it upward, revealing his dull, fish like eyes.

_"So many trash. I'm gonna clean this place alright."_ He added with a gleeful look on his face.

* * *

><p><strong>~To be continued~<strong>

_The Jouishishi Patriots are all aboard!_

_What will happen to the galaxy!?_

**Thank you for reading!**


	5. Contempt 5

*** Too Much Familiarity Breeds Contempt***

_by: **WhiteGloves**_

_**CONTEMPT 5**_

_"Off with your heads."~ _Takasugi Shinsuke

_**Enjoy Reading!**_

* * *

><p>"<em>W-what the heck are you doing oi—ackglglglg!"<em>

A head was seen pummeled down a toilet seat with splashing water on the air. It was pushed down by a foot mercilessly and as the victim struggled to break free—a bored voice spoke—

"Well, _you _did tell me to clean it, nii-san, I'm just doing my job."

And his foot stoop on the man's head again who continued to gurgle water from the toilet seat.

"Y-you bastard!" shouted another man behind him whose fists were close, "the hell are you doing!? You picking a fight, bastard?!"

"Sheesh, these guys," muttered the owner of the bored voice who appeared to be a man wearing a green uniform from head to foot, wearing plastic gloves on his hands holding on a toilet pump, a cap covering his white streaks, black shades that appeared to be taken from a guy with initials _H.T_ and a mask covering his nose and mouth, "you come here to use the toilet and never flush it down. I mean, seriously, that's a basic you learn at home, isn't it? Even cats know how to flush down a toilet. Unless you're a gorilla, but man you're _nearly humans_. Then you order me to clean your stuff?"

"Bastard!" shouted a man behind him again, "you're just a damn _cleaner! _Now, come and stop that or I'll kill you—"

He daringly took a step forward but his face met a toilet pump—

"Don't be impatient, nii-san, you'll be cleaning the next toilet soon." The man in green said as he pushed the pump down, making the fellow lose his balance and to slip on the floor. "Discipline starts in the toilet, you asses."

The commotion inside the toilet room had gathered other samurais outside who came in to see what was happening. What they found made all of them stare as their fellow samurais were made as cleaning materials.

"Oi, you!" another one shouted, making the janitor turn a look at the doorway.

"Sorry, can't you see the toilets are full?" he said, facing them with a foot still stuck on the man by the toilet seat, "I was just about to put 'out of order' signs. Find other toilets today, nii-san."

"What the hell—!?" he stepped inside—

"Oi, the floor's dirty." The cleaner said, tripping the man and putting a foot on his back, "I need a big rag."

"Teme!" chorused the other samurais outside but then—

"_You guys, what are you all doing? Do you know how long I've been standing here waiting for all of you to disperse? Out of my way."_

A calm voice floated above the gruff voices and the next thing, a man with a long black hair appeared, slipping himself inside from the number of people blocking the doorway. The janitor's eyes slightly widened as he saw the long haired samurai stood in front of him with arms crossed and eyes closed as always.

_Z-Zura!_

"I have been _on standby_ outside waiting for the number of people to decrease," the man named Katsura was saying as he opened his eyes, "but ten minutes have passed and the same number of people was still outside. What is going on? I was wondering if somebody had hijacked this toilet room."

His eyes fell on the janitor whose face was impalpable from his mask.

"Who would hijack this place?" the janitor muttered in feign ignorance as he stared eye to eye with the long haired samurai who stared back at him without blinking.

A sweat drop fell on the cleaner's head wondering if the secret was out of the bag.

But Katsura merely stared at him without any sign of recognition on his eyes.

"Katsura-san!" called one of the samurai behind him, "this guy's caused a problem! He's attacked our members, look!"

Katsura looked down the men who were all knocked down the floor with funny faces. It made him frown and look up at the green uniformed man.

"What's the meaning of this? Are you the hijacker?"

His eyes glinted, making the silver haired janitor stare dumbly at him for awhile with heart pounding.

_He saw through it! He saw through my plan! But what's with that logic?! How did he know I was here to hijack this ship? But nobody would hijack a freaking toilet room only! Zura you idiot!_

"L-look here. I ain't anything suspicious, nii-san. And if I was any hijackers, I won't even go inside this toilet room, yah know. Gimme a break, nii-san!" he gave a nervous laugh.

"What?" Katsura's eyes narrowed.

"Oi!" shouted another Kiheitai samurai, "know your place, damn janitor! Know who you're talking to! Do you have a death wish!?"

The janitor didn't reply as the long haired samurai raised a hand to stop the man behind him.

"It seems like you don't get it at all, Janitor-dono." He said, putting his crossed arms on his chest again as he stared at the man with leveled eyes, "the possibility of this place getting hijacked is higher than any other room. Do you know _why_? Because this place is the _toilet._ Not even hijackers can control their bowel movements in times of attack, do you get what I'm saying? So in order to be fully prepared, one must think of the most important room in a ship—and that is the _toilet."_

_What reasoning is that, moron!_

"I—I understand…" a sweat drop slid down the silver haired man's head, "But I'm just a janitor, nii-san. Leave me alone to do my job already… this is a terrorist ship, isn't it? Why would another terrorist terrorize a terrorist ship? T-that doesn't seem possible. Now see here, you guys are disturbing me already as it is. You all come here charging in and demanding to use all the spots and dirt all around without minding the one cleaning in like these idiots here. I mean—you can't blame janitors for getting all irritated with all of you who don't know how to even flush a toilet seat! All those bastards should just go and learn from cats."

"What was that, huh!?" said a samurai behind Katsura but the long haired samurai's eyes suddenly sparkled in understanding.

"J-Janitor-dono!" he called with such a voice that made the silver haired man blink, "with such conviction, you… how could I have ever doubted you? Now that you mention it— we are disturbing you greatly, are we not, Janitor-dono? You are the keeper of the cleanliness of this sacred place. For us to take lightly of your job… and so much of your time gone to waste when there are more toilet seats to be cleaned…!"

"Uh…?" the janitor stared dumbly at him.

"Katsura-san?" the samurais outside all called but the long haired samurai merely waved a straight arm at them with face full of seriousness—

"All of you get out! You heard Janitor-dono!"

"B-but Katsura-san, he—"

"Quiet! You of all people should understand this!"

"Huh?"

Katsura closed his eyes tightly with a fist near his chest, "To find a toilet seat so dirty and polluted because the person before you did not flush it properly… the humiliation… the disgusts! Haven't all of you experienced that?"

"K-Katsura-san…"

"?"

"Now go out and leave this clean person be!" the long haired samurai pointed at the door, "nobody is allowed to use this place until Janitor-dono has said so! Go!"

"H-hai!" and the men all took off, grabbing the two unconscious samurai down the floor with them and disappearing from the doorway, leaving the two men standing quietly in the middle of the toilet room.

Silence prevailed for a moment. Then—

"Hmmp… _to think I'd see you here of all places_."

The green uniformed man shot the samurai a surprised look. He found the samurai smirking at him.

"Katsura, you—"

The long haired samurai stared seriously at the uniformed man, "What? You think I wouldn't know? But I must say it's rather brave of you to go and work in this place. Didn't you even consider the dangers of infiltrating this ship of all ships? Honestly, you're such a reckless man."

"H-how did you know…?"

"I'm not blind." Katsura straightened and looked at the mirror of the toilet room directly at the janitor, "Anyone would have seen through it. How could I not? After always seeing you with _that, _how could I not know?"

"Huh?" Gintoki looked at the mirror, exactly as Katsura gave him a confident smile.

"You can't hide your identity, _Hasegawa-dono."_

Gintoki's face darkened as he stared at the mirror and saw his own shades sparkle.

"_You got that wrong!"_ he shouted, throwing the toilet pump at Katsura's face, directly hitting him and sticking to his face, "_It's not Hasegawa! It may look a lot like Hasegawa, but it's not Hasegawa! Acting like you got it all on the spot—how easy going can you get!?"_

"Uughh," Katsura pulled the toilet pump out of his face with his expression confused, "you're not Hasegawa-dono?"

"No!"

"But your appearance is almost identical…"

"_You can't tell?"_

"Then, that's my bad," the long haired samurai dropped his hand holding the toilet material looking solemn, "I did not mean to mistake you. It's just that your aura is the same as him."

"You mean like a _madao?_"

"So you know Hasegawa-dono?"

"N-no, not at all," the janitor immediately pushed the shades back at the bridge of his nose, "I might have bumped at him a few times but we're not that close. Y-you know with this line of work we people just tend to meet one another…"

"I see," Katsura nodded sounding convince, "of course. I do not really expect Hasegawa-dono to have come here to work for a terrorist group."

"Uh, yeah, come to think of it, nii-san," the green uniformed man shot the long haired samurai a look as he continued clearly, "this is the first time I've seen you around this ship. You a new recruit or something?"

"…" Katsura gave him a long look to which he blinked back. "You can say that. I am the new force in this terrorist group. And though I may not look it, I am a great addition to this force. With me here I doubt anyone can withstand us be it the police of the galaxy or any authorities."

"Uhuh… you seemed to have taken your job to heart, nah, nii-san?"

Katsura closed his eyes, "I need to be serious in this line of work just like you. I admire your dedication in your work, Hasegawa-dono."

"I said it's not Hasegawa!"

"Then it's Janitor-dono? Unless you can give me a name to address you formally…?"

"There's no need, nii-san," the janitor scratched his head, "names of people don't matter much in my line of work. I clean and let em' use it to their butt's content without bothering for names. Just like in yours, isn't it?"

Katsura gave him a look. The Janitor stared back.

"I mean terrorists don't really bother with the names of their victims… nah, _nii-san_?"

Katsura's eyes narrowed. "You…"

Seriousness dawned on the two men whose faces grew solemn by the second.

"I…" Katsura hid his eyes under his hair and then—it happened in a flash as Katsura charged in and shut a cubicle door before him— "_Excuse me_!"

A sound of toilet flush was then heard—

"_That's what you were serious about_!?" the man in green cloth hollered—

And silence fell in the toilet room.

Gintoki leaned on the wall and crossed his arms, removing his shades; he stared back at the mirror opposite him to see his red, dull fish eyes. Just then Katsura spoke from inside the cubicle—

"Janitor-dono… you really are a hijacker, aren't you?"

Gintoki raised his eyes, his expression as dull as ever.

"You can tell?"

"It's too obvious with how you speak. You don't like terrorists, do you? How ironic of you to be here? It just means you're out here for revenge like most of the victims of terrorists do. Do you seek to end this group, Janitor-dono?"

The cubicle door opened and Gintoki wore his shades again.

When he looked up however, he found Katsura in front of him with his blade pointing at his neck, his eyes with a serious glint on it, his face etched with sternness.

"Go home." The long haired samurai said with a note of warning, "I won't let you get in the Kiheitai's way."

The blade glinted but the man in his shades did not flinch an inch.

"Come now, nii-san," he said after awhile, "what do you mean 'get in the way'? Don't you see I'm just a janitor here? You've got some really wild imaginations, nii-san."

Katsura gave him a look and then pulled his sword back and sheathed it.

"To not squirm before a threat… I'm really beginning to like your spirit, Janitor-dono."

The silver haired man watched as Katsura turned and headed toward the doorway. It made him sigh inwardly.

"I'll be looking forward on your work at the third floor's toilet room, Janitor-dono," the long haired samurai said as he opened the door quietly, "You have my respect. I've never seen such a clean cubicle since coming here."

And shut the door before him, leaving the green uniformed Janitor staring at him.

* * *

><p>"What's the meaning of this?" Katsura then said minutes later when he returned to the lounging area where he was accustomed to hang out nowadays and found himself face to face with the mysterious samurai, Bansai Kawakami sitting by the couch in front of a table, "Where is Henpeita-dono? We're supposed to have a game today."<p>

"His out of commission for now," Bansai answered without lifting his head up as the former Joui leader sat in front of him, "Shinsuke had him do something. Do not worry though, I was asked to sit here as his replacement."

"…" Katsura stared at him long. "Can you play UNO?"

"I've read the instructions. It doesn't seem that difficult."

"You'd be surprised. Half the people I know had said the same thing before and changed their opinions after getting defeated on their very first game. Do you want to experience that, Bansai-dono?"

He took out the UNO cards from his sleeves and had started to cut the hands.

The samurai wearing ear phones then took his cards and spread it on his hand.

"Then?" the long haired samurai spoke again as he took his own hand and the first throw of card happened, "did Takasugi order you to watch me in the absence of Henpeita-dono?"

Kawakami Bansai raised his eyes a little, and then took a card from the deck.

"You are sharp as ever, Katsura." He admitted, putting a draw 2 down, "Shinsuke has ordered full attention on you in this ship. I understand you know why he's doing this?"

"Not really," Katsura took two turns on the deck and dropped down a reverse and skip card, before dropping a green colored card, "it's just too discouraging to think he does not trust a comrade of his own. Apparently, all of you still question my loyalty, is that what it means? Not that I can blame any of you. All of this would not have happened if not for a simple game."

"So you too admit how idiotic things have turned?"

"That I do not understand. An UNO game must be acknowledged no matter what the consequences are. As of now, I am _really_ a Kiheitai group member. I vow to that as a samurai."

"Is that so?" Bansai put a card down as silence fell in the room. The cards continued to be drawn from the deck until after a few minutes there was none and only five cards remained in their hands: two on Katsura's and three on Bansai's.

"I lost." The earphoned samurai admitted as Katsura showed him a lone card on his hand after successfully choosing the colored pair of his own.

"Well, you can't expect to win from a professional."

"True but defeat still stings."

Katsura nodded, making Bansai look at him from his pair of shades.

That was when silence fell and the samurai with the earphones straightened a little to _listen._ What he heard, he immediately shared.

"Your rhythm is very intriguing."

"Hmm?"

"Rhythm. It's sort of a hobby of mine, listening to people's beats. Yours is truly amusing; like a low string that resonates with a jazz at the background. Continuously playing. But there are the sudden tapping sounds and beats,.. and very unpredictable waves. Calm in the outside. Erupting in the inside. In short—_a silent killer."_

Katsura did not know whether it was a compliment or not so he merely stared at the samurai in front of him.

Bansai shook his head.

"It's fine if you don't get it. But I really don't find true samurai's beats dull. You're just like Shinsuke. Ah but no. Shinsuke's probably more of a rocker, don't you think?"

Before the long haired samurai could react, however, there was this alarm that sounded once above them. The two samurais raised their heads to look at the alarm system.

"What's going on?" the former Joui leader asked aloud only to find the samurai with his ear phone standing already.

"It's about time."

* * *

><p>Gintoki Sakata, in his green uniform, was found carrying his long mop while roaming around the Kiheitai ship when he heard the first rang of alarm that signaled arrival of visitors in the ship. Walking toward the large window glass that showed the infinite galaxy, he looked down the mouth of the ship and saw a small ship got taken in. Wondering what it was, the silver haired Yorozuya, who happened to be a janitor at the moment, stood still with a hand on his head, until he heard sounds of footsteps behind him.<p>

Quickly arranging his guise, the janitor resumed mopping the floor when two men walked pass him. He tipped his cap down, but then notice that one of the men had stopped on his tracks to stare at him.

"Janitor-dono?"

The cleaner looked up as he recognized the long haired samurai's voice. Katsura faced him properly while Gintoki made sure his shades were perfect on his face.

"So you've reached the seventh level, huh?" Katsura continued as he nodded his head in approval, "that is good for you. A hard worker such as yourself deserves a raise."

"Oh? Would it be possible to hand it now?"

"I'm not sure. Takasugi owns this ship and he's got all the allowance here. Come to think of it, he's supposed to be putting my wage also. To think we've never discussed that. But why are you in this part of the ship, Janitor-dono? Are you not supposed to clean the toilet area?"

"Uh, somebody's already cleaning it," the janitor answered as he scratched his head, thinking if Katsura's obsession of toilets got no bounds, "I've got this buddy over there doing a spring clean."

"A buddy?" the long haired samurai blinked, "so you've got another person aboard, huh? That's better. To have someone with you whom you thoroughly rely makes a lot of difference, doesn't it?"

The janitor stared back at the samurai.

"True. Although he's got a few lose screws here and there but I've gotten used to it."

Katsura smiled and nodded idealistically.

"That's music to my ears. I hope that relationship doesn't change."

"Well, if it does _change_ I'll just have to knock him off his rocker, don't I?"

Katsura stared at the man in the green uniform who continued—

"It was a promise. A long time ago."

"…"

"Katsura?" somebody else called.

The long haired samurai looked behind him to find Bansai standing there and waiting at the automatic doors.

"They are waiting." The samurai with ear phone finished and then entered without another glance. Katsura glanced back at the cleaner with mop but there was nothing left to be said.

With that, he turned around and entered the opened doors where it closed behind him automatically.

It took Gintoki a long while to find where the two samurais headed after he secretly followed after them. The passages of the ship were long, narrow and complicated that it created a big trouble for the silver haired who got confused with a number of two passages he encountered but was able to find the right spot at the nick of time.

He found all of them by the mouth of the ship to where he saw the newcomers landed. There were a number of people there aside from Katsura and the ear phoned guy like a man whom he recognized as the strategies of the group, a girl with blonde hair Kagura had told him about, and then a man who seemed to be tied and kneeling in the middle of the group.

Takasugi was also there.

The silver haired samurai leaned a little as he was observing the entire scene from above the metal railings. Yet he could still hear them perfectly.

_"He's a spy on the ship we caught, Zura,"_ Takasugi was saying, _"and he claims to be of your former Jouishishi group."_

_"Your men are haply prancing around us Kiheitais. Just got to catch them when their off guard."_ The blond girl added.

_"I don't recognize him." _Katsura answered flatly, "_even if I do, it doesn't concern me anymore since I am no longer of that group."_

_"Oh?" Takasugi raised a sword and pointed it behind the tied man, "why don't you state your purpose?"_

_"I… I…" _the tied samurai's voice trembled a little as he gazed up at the long haired samurai, "_I…Katsura-san..."_

Katsura's eyes narrowed—

"_Kill him, Zura."_

The silver haired samurai's eyes widened a little as he heard this and his eyes immediately fell on the long haired samurai who seemed to be staring at the Kiheitai leader.

_"Is this also some method to test if I am loyal or not?"_ he asked as he withdrew his sword from its sheath, making Gintoki eye his every movements with a sweat drop at the side of his face. _"To see if I can take the head of an old comrade or not?"_

Takasugi visibly grinned. "_You can say that."_

Gintoki grinded his teeth.

The long haired samurai eyed the Kiheitai leader for a few moments before his eyes fell on the poor samurai kneeling in front of him.

_"Really, Takasugi… you…"_ but before anybody saw it, Katsura's sword had made a swift cutting movement and the next thing, the spy's head came rolling down the floor with his body falling sadly down the ground.

"_Oooh. That's Katsura-san for you_." Henpeita said with amusement while Matako stared at the long haired samurai in surprise. Bansai merely eyed the body, then to the two old Jouishishi compatriots.

But Katsura was already eyeing Takasugi again.

"_It seemed like you are the one who did not understand the bargain, Takasugi." _He sheathed his sword and gave his friend a long look. _"I am Katsura of the Kiheitai. There is nothing to test in that. I thought you knew me better than anyone."_

With nobody speaking, the long haired samurai turned and left the area quietly while the Kiheitais watched him go. Takasugi let go of his sword as it was his hand which automatically reached for the handle seconds before.

_"Yeah. I knew you better than anyone."_

His eyes glinted again.

And Gintoki remained on his position with his hands gripping the railings tightly, his eyes flashing red at how angry he was for what Katsura had done.

* * *

><p><strong>~To be continued~<strong>

_Blood spilled of a comrade!?_

_Whose Katsura cutting next?_

_Takasugi and Gintoki clash next time!_

_(LIKE THE FREAKING MANGA! GO GIN-CHAN! KAGURA!)_

**Thank you for reading!**


	6. Contempt 6

*** Too Much Familiarity Breeds Contempt***

_by: **WhiteGloves**_

**_CONTEMPT 6_**

_"That's just how stupid they all are."~ _Takasugi Shinsuke

**_Enjoy Reading!_**

* * *

><p>Everybody watched Katsura walked away while Gintoki was left to decide if he should jump out now and give the long haired samurai a piece of his mind or if he should jump out now and give <em>everyone<em> a piece of his mind. Reckless, yeah—but nothing would suffice his enraged soul now after seeing what Katsura did.

_For that idiot to really kill a comrade of his…_

But then—

_"I…I… Kat—sura…san…"_

There was an uncertain pause—and then all the Kiheitai's eyes fell on the lone head in the middle of the floor with eyes round in disbelief.

"What the hell?" Matako muttered as she eyed the head on the floor, "that just now…!?"

"You don't say?" Henpeita muttered and put a foot on the dead body on the floor. The body rolled and gave a thump as it lied on the floor dead as a doornail. The Kiheitai strategies looked over the neck and there found a rod of steal and wires on it. "It's a... robot?"

They looked back at the head and noticed for the first time that it wasn't blood that they saw spilled but was actually_ oil_. Takasugi paused.

"Oi, oi…" he looked up at Katsura who had already stopped on his way with his back still on them.

"…_sura…san…"_ the metal head repeated.

"_It's not 'Zura.' It's Katsura." _The long haired samurai looked back at the people behind him. "And I'll get away from it if I were you."

"Wha—?" the girl started but a loud explosion was then heard at the bottom of the ship which made the floor shook violently. Emergency bell sounded ringing and men came from different direction.

"What happened?"

With the smoke covering the area, confused people's voices were heard. The damage was next seen as on the floor there appeared a crater with bits of the robot's body. The damage on the ship was small and the Kiheitai members all emerged from the black smoke without any scratch—for one, they all reacted on Katsura's advice.

"TEME!" Matako shouted as she pointed at the long haired samurai with grinded teeth, "now you've done it you traitor! You really tried to kill us back there! Damn you, Katsura' I'll take your head off!"

"You won't die from such a tiny explosion, Matako-dono."

"_You can say that because you're not standing near it! You knew it would explode didn't you!? Teme, that's why you walked away!"_

"Katsura-san, you knew it was a robot?" Henpeita straightened with eyes boring on the long haired samurai.

The former Jouishishi member faced them back and closed his eyes.

"I realized when I heard the beeping sound behind its voice."

"Beeping? All I heard was his voice was trembling."

"That's what I said—_beeping."_

"That's a load different sound than beeping you know."

"I heard it too." Bansai answered with a casual shrug while Shinsuke remained silent on his spot.

"Anyways," Katsura answered, "hearing a beeping sound like that I knew at once it was about to self destruct after getting exposed so taking Takasugi's advice I mechanically removed its head off." He turned his eyes to the Kiheitai leader.

"You know it was a robot too, Shinsuke-sama?" Matako asked sounding awed. The one eyed samurai remained silent which made Katsura close his eyes.

"_I didn't know_. _I'm sorry._" He mimicked Takasugi's voice so nicely that it made the three look at him in shock.

Darkness gloomed around Takasugi.

"_Why are you copying Shinsuke-sama's voice!"_ the blonde shouted in agitation, "_Bastard and even letting Shinsuke-sama say something absurd as an apology! Katsura you bastard_!"

"But this is quite a surprise," the strategist cleared his throat as Takasugi's mood continued to loom. Henpeita looked at the blackened spot were only the remains of the robot was left, "For you to know it was a robot…could it be…?"

"As I have told you I know nothing of it." Katsura firmly said with a side glance at them, "It so happens my ears are sharp when it comes to bombs and seeing as it was coming from his voice then it was either he has something planted on his throat or _he is a robot_."

"Er…I think you're missing the point. But then to have an actual robot as their spy… isn't your former faction too advance now, Katsura-san?"

"What do you expect from the person left in charge there now?" Katsura nodded as he crossed his arms knowingly, "I trained him myself so he's gotta be something with caliber. We cannot be fighting them in a real fight if they can't even make us tremble."

"You never made us tremble." Takasugi answered back suddenly with a murderous glare at the long haired samurai, "Thinking about it, there was never a time your faction even made me lose a sleep."

"That's because you never sleep with your eye always open, bastard." Katsura answered back as he too, glared at the Kiheitai leader, "what's with the sudden talk, Takasugi? You got bored of keeping silent most of the time?"

"That's because your filthy habit of copying voices has never outgrown you. I've always hated that about you."

"What's filthy is your own men doesn't even know your side that 'apologizes'. That's what I've always hated about you too."

"I've never apologized to any one my whole life."

"See that's what's wrong with you. No wonder you're a mess."

"I'll cut you now."

"You're such a violent person ever since the old days. You never change, Takasugi."

"They're synchronizing again." Bansai noted without a change on expression as the two former Jouishishi compatriots gave each other such glares that made those around them feel the sudden intensity in the atmosphere.

"He's pissed Shinsuke-sama, that bastard," Matako muttered as they stepped back a little. "What an idiot he is."

"Don't you think that's the longest conversation Takasugi-sama has ever had?" Henpeita pointed out as he waited in anticipation as the two faced off, "It would appear only those idiots back in the days of the Joui war can make him do that. Now here's the fight we've all been waiting for."

Takasugi didn't look like he was going to hold back as he pointed his blade at Katsura _not for the first time_. Katsura didn't look like he was in any mood to back down either.

The point of their foot itched to move as the prelude of a battle signaled a start but then— _the air changed._

Both the former Joui compatriot lost their focus as something fell between them from the sky—causing the two to step away and watch as a bucket of water fell in with a loud splash followed by a long rod of _mop_ that fell with a thudding sound.

"What the?" the blonde woman said as they all looked up—in time to see someone _plastered on the ceiling_ like a human spider in his complete jumpsuit of green uniform from head to foot.

"Oi!" he called in a strange voice, "you guys okay? Damn blast just now wasn't it? Sorry the stuff just slipped from my hands! Did I take anyone's eye out, nii-san?"

"Who's that?" Henpeita managed as they watched him cling for his dear life. How he got there or even stuck himself on the ceiling, no one knew, but one thing was clear—everyone was curious as to how he carried the bucket and the mop up there. "Is that how you really clean a ceiling?"

"Janitor-dono?" Katsura muttered as the men around pointed at the cleaner.

Takasugi's eye narrowed at him but just then— there was another sound of alarm, followed by a voice speaking from somewhere in the control room.

"Takasugi-sama, _their ship has made contact."_

"Talk about timing." Bansai said as they all heard a sword being sheathed. Looking around, they found the Kiheitai leader standing there with his sword on its case and an unreadable expression.

"Clean this mess up." He said, walking around followed by the other Kiheitais and passing along the long haired samurai who remained standing on his spot. When they were shoulder to shoulder did the Kiheitai leader stop to whisper on him, "we'll continue this the next time."

"Isn't this ironic?" Katsura answered back quietly, "we're already on the same side yet we're still at each other's necks."

"We've been like this since the moment we met."

Katsura closed his eyes.

"True."

"Next time I'll be waiting for you to cut a real man's head."

"…"

And Takasugi left him standing there with his sword at hand.

The former Joui leader took his time, and then quietly sheathed his sword. When he opened them he looked at the spot where the robot self destructed and remained silent. That was when a loud clanking sound came—and the next thing a shouting man came surging down from the sky to the very same blackened _spot_—

"_Gyahhhhh!" A%^^ $RW#%^**!_

Katsura ran back to the place with eyes wide.

"Janitor-dono!"

The janitor surprisingly moved about as he sat up and rubbed the back of his head with his shades a little askew.

"Dammit, and they said this suit works like a glue," he muttered vexed as he straightened his shade to look at the long haired samurai. "What's up, nii-san? You look like you've seen a ghost?"

"You've hurt it."

"Hmm?" the janitor sat up and found the stick of his mop _sticking _on his ass. It made his face go dark. "_Gyaahhhh! H-help me pull it out, nii-san!"_

"Hmm? Oh, you've hurt yourself with the stick."

"What else would I have hurt, bastard?"

"No, that's not what I meant," Katsura said with his facial expression not changing as he bent down and grabbed a head from the spot where the green suit man fell down.

It was the head of the robot man. Gintoki's face darkened more.

"_You meant that!?"_

Katsura kept still as he stared at the face of the robot whose skin has already peeled off and now revealed a metallic head. His serious face made the green suit man to stand still and look at him.

"You _cut off _that head, didn't you? Tsk! How did a man turn into a robot?"

"So you were watching…" the long haired samurai muttered quietly, "heads like this are bound to fly in this kind of times. We're at war. Takasugi really intend for me to kill and I have expected as much."

The janitor fell in silent stupor.

"Not a very nice partner, isn't he?"

"Oh yes, he was. Once." There was a sad note on his voice. The green suit man went silent too.

"But what if that was a real man?"

Katsura looked at the cleaner from the corner of his eyes, and then back at the head of the unresponsive robot.

"It doesn't matter in war. A samurai knows this. Samurais must always be prepared for the worst. If he was a real person I would not have hesitated to cut him too because being a samurai is putting yourself in the line. But this guy…and after all the trouble I did to save him…"

Gintoki gave the man a look.

_And there was Katsura's flashback…_

_Here he was walking around Edo and had suddenly stopped in front of a bar. He opened the door and saw three ladies in front of him. One was an old one who couldn't stop smoking even to save her skin, the other was like a man with whisker but her figure says as much and the third one who had was he was looking for—a pale skinned lady with green hair and fixed eyes._

_What he was looking for was…that tomcat which was standing beside her. The cat walked out the moment he came in and just had to follow it at the back door for its cute paw._

_-End of Flashback-_

"OI! That doesn't explain anything! And were you just using a different flash back there?"

Katsura closed his eyes and had started walking away with the head on his hand.

"You had better leave this ship." He said without turning around, "more heads will be flying after this. Yours might get mixed into it."

Gintoki watch him go and then looked down the spot where the now wrecked part of the robot was. He remembered that fleeting feeling of anger when he saw the robot got killed. It was not _just_ a robot, wasn't it?

He looked over at Katsura again and saw that the man had stopped by the exit with the head up to the level of his face and was _talking to it. _It talked back.

Gintoki's jaw dropped.

* * *

><p>There was a knock on his door and Henpeita Takechi opened it with a yawn as he was already on his sleeping garment.<p>

"What is this ridiculous disturbance in the middle of the night?" he said with his sword ready at hand, "it had better not be an enemy?" he looked outside and found himself face to face with Katsura Kotarou.

"Henpeita-dono," said the long haired samurai with a slight bow, "I apologize for the sudden interruption of your sleep… though I am really not aware which is morning and night anymore. Nevertheless… would you care for a last game of _UNO?_"

* * *

><p>"<em>Why am I even here?"<em>

Gintoki Sakata sighed to himself as he leaned his arms on the newly acquired mop he had as he stood in the middle of the hallway with his fish like eyes, still with his shades, gazing in the air.

"It ain't look like Zura's really lost it so why am I butting in? I've no use here except cleaning this damn area. I could have done many things if I was back in my household like… like… well, that's that. Dang it. I forgot to tell Kagura and Shinpachi about this… cuz it was all too sudden—that damn girl better not have finished all my supplies of sweets. Dang it. Maybe I'd just tell em' I was suck into a wormhole and got lost round' space or sumthing. Tsk. Like anyone would believe that."

He sighed again and stared into the depths of the galaxy.

"Zura's really a pain in the ass."

"_It's not Zura. It's Katsura!"_

The green uniformed man straightened at once at the familiar voice behind him. With a sweat drop at the side of his face and wondering, yet again, if his cover was blown, he looked behind him to see the long haired samurai walking in the corridor.

But then Katsura wasn't talking to him but to that object he was carrying on his hands—the robot head.

Gintoki made a face as he saw this and hid himself on the nearest side wall as the two heads with one body came to pass by while exchanging words quietly.

"He's still talking to that?" the janitor whispered to himself with a weird expression.

"Katzura-z-zan," the robotic voice said, "I'm sorry I got caught."

"It doesn't matter now," the long haired samurai answered, "I knew they'd want to target your head once they've found out you were a robot so I made sure you self destruct if ever you were caught. It's great they didn't notice you otherwise you will be in jeopardy. Besides, it's easier to carry you around this way."

"I look hideous, don't I?"

"No, you look absolutely… shiny."

"Katzura-san, don't be modest."

"I'm not! Can't you feel how cool and refreshing it is for you? Don't you feel you're alive?"

"But you're still going to do that so no point of saving me now."

"True," Katsura paused just right before Gintoki's hiding place, "that's why I told you to get out immediately. Now both of us don't have a choice but to go down with them."

"Elizabeth-dono won't be happy."

"Eli is also a samurai. He'll understand."

"How's the last UNO game?"

"About that—"

Footsteps behind the former Joui leader made him stop and look sideways— upon looking behind he first saw the janitor _stuck_ on the wall beside him again. The long haired samurai blinked as the cleaner grinned at him innocently, before looking at the three men behind him who had approached him.

"Katsura-dono," said one of the men who bowed, "Takasugi-sama is calling for you."

Katsura paused for a moment with a meaningful look at the object on his hand, before nodding and closing his eyes.

"I understand. Let me just first do something about my trash." He said and turned a look at the janitor and threw the head at him without further ado.

"A-ack!" the green uniformed man stifled in surprise as he caught the head on his hands, "O-oi!"

He looked up but Katsura was already walking toward the samurais that called him. The Yorozuya leader slowly looked at the thing on his hand with a sweat drop at the side of his face. The face was not recognizable anymore for the skin was already gone. It was only pure metal.

"Uh?" he stared at the head.

The head stared back and the two were silent for a whole minute.

Then—

"I look hideous, don't I?" the head asked.

Gintoki's jaw dropped yet again.

* * *

><p>The long haired samurai found himself being led to the upper most part of the ship where he knew Takasugi would be. He silently followed the men for he knew his movements were also being watched. What more, for Takasugi to call him at such an hour it must be of importance.<p>

Not that Takasugi ever sleeps.

Katsura sighed at that.

"We're here."

The automatic doors opened and he was lead in. He saw that it was a closed off room with nothing but line lights on the wall. The room was exceedingly large with different tubes and pipes here and there as if it was the core of the ship. There was also a large hole in the middle of the room where a circular door was located as if it was meant to accept large ships in.

Wondering what it was all about and keeping his vigilance at it all, the long haired samurai looked here and there as he walked toward the one eyed man who was leaning on the doorway.

"What is this?" was his first question as he stopped in front of the Kiheitai leader.

Takasugi was smoking on his kiseru with his eye looking in enchantment at the circular door.

"We've got visitors." He said simply.

The words haven't yet registered on the long haired samurai when he felt the ship shook and heard the automatic doors rumbling open. The moment it happened, Kiheitai members came from all places in the room and stationed themselves at the side of the circular entrance and waited till the ship's head came in, followed by its body—and then the rear.

Bansai appeared behind Katsura and Takasugi.

"Sending such a small ship to carry the goods," the music samurai whispered, "they are being cautious, aren't they?"

"Think it's because of you, Zura?" Takasugi egged with a smirk on his face as he looked at the long haired samurai who was staring in aghast at the flag of the ship that was in front of him.

"What's the meaning of this?" he whispered, "_Harusame?"_

"Don't act so surprise," the leader replied, "_Harusame's just one of those backers the Kiheitai has."_

Katsura's eyes widened even more when at last, the ship's door opened and in came one Amanto. Takasugi nodded at Bansai who nodded back to meet the guest.

"Zura," Takasugi went on as he blew from his pipe with eyes at the transaction, "the Harusame recently acquired this device from hijacking another alien ship or so they say. It's not like they were merchant selling goods to me, no. Just that the device was a real _head start_. It's pretty advance if you ask me. Don't you think it would be fun to use that to destroy everything with?"

"I don't understand," Katsura whispered as he straightened with a suspicious look at the ship cargo again, "what sort of device is this? Is this like a power canon or something?"

"Not really. It's something more _fun."_

Katsura looked sideways uncertainly at the Kiheitai leader who looked pretty sure of himself.

A sweat drop slid down the long haired samurai's face, especially when Bansai gave the signal and Takasugi's evil grin widened.

"Zura, go ahead."

"?"

Katsura suddenly became aware of attacks coming from his surrounding yet he could not see anything— raising his sword to defend—he found Takasugi's quick sword swerve beside him— a moment's notice would have prepared him for his attack but what came next was out of his expectation as he felt tiny strings wrapped itself on his shoulders, arms down to his waist—

"T-this…!" it shut his arms to his sides, making him unable to move and kneel on the floor.

Takasugi's eyes glinted as he sent Katsura's sword upward, then it went flying down and stuck itself sharply on the floor seconds later, leaving the long haired samurai tied and weaponless.

"Takasugi!" the former Joui leader shouted fiercely with eyes flashing daggers, "is this how you treat your comrade?!"

"Comrade? Us? Wake up, Katsura. We were never comrades. We have the most complicated relationship, don't we? If it hadn't been for this you would have lost your head a long time ago, you know."

"You…" Katsura gritted his teeth as he tried to struggle but Bansai's strings proved to be sturdy.

"Don't move," he advised as he stood beside him, "I made sure they are a hundred percent stronger. Shiroyasha's display of power back in Edo did astound me. Now then."

He motioned for two Kiheitais to grab the long haired samurai from the floor. As they did, Takasugi and Katsura glared at each other.

"Let's not kid around anymore. I've never believed that UNO crap you kept on yapping about. No. Your intentions were as clear as daylight. But don't worry, when they're finished with you there'd be no doubt who you would follow."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll find out soon." Takasugi's eye gleamed menacingly, "it ain't gonna sting, I tell you. Plus, you get to know if there's really something inside the head of yours, _Zura."_

Katsura's eyes rounded a little but then he allowed himself to be lead toward the ship quietly. Takasugi and Bansai stood together watching him go with the Kiheitai leader's smoke on the air. Once Katsura was inside the ship, Bansai looked sideways at the one eyed samurai without his expression giving him away.

"Then we're luring the Shiroyasha in that device too?"

"There's no need to touch that one," Takasugi answered as he watched Katsura got thrown in the ship, "Katsura will handle him. Taking care of those two annoying pests comes first before we can really destroy Edo after all."

Bansai stood still, and then turned his eyes on the Harusame ship too.

"Yeah. I can't wait to hear his new beat."

"Where are you going?" Takasugi asked as the ear phoned samurai walked ahead. Bansai stopped on his way and said without glancing back-

"My strings just got cut _again_. What's with your compatriots anyways?"

Takasugi didn't say anything as the ear phoned man continued on his way while ahead inside the ship, they could hear people shouting and Katsura raging.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Gintoki was next seen running along the corridor.<p>

"What d'you mean intend to blow this place up?" he was saying to the robot head which was already part of his left fist that no matter how he shook it it wouldn't budge—"_and how the hell did you end up being my left hand, you damn head!?"_

"You're the one who got me stuck here!" the head answered, "and yes, Katzura-zan does plan to get rid of this ship the moment he's got the chance! I was the one who took the box to him. Actually—I waz suppose to exchange with Katzura-zan to set it up as part of the plan. The component of this highly developed bomb is that it must be activated in person. It's so dangerous it can eradicate this ship in one go! The Katsura faction has had that idea ever since Takasugi's revolution but to infiltrate them was hard to do so when it appeared like Katzura-zan was chosen to join them, thus the long awaited plan commenced! I was made for the purpose of eradicating this ship but Katzura-zan refused to cooperate and get on the escape ship. He told me to escape when I was supposed to explode with this ship saying he couldn't leave yet but he did want me to send a message to Elizabeth-dono… then I was caught and now we're both gonna explode."

"You both idiots!" Gintoki grinded his teeth as he ran as fast as he could, "_why are you all thinking of bombing and exploding and the likes!? And then bombing and exploding yourselves too including ME?—and here I thought two heads are better than one! Appears like two idiotic heads is still equivalent to the most idiotic plans! Both of you should electrocute your brains together!"_

"J-Janitor-zan!"

"Don't janitor-san me!" the green uniformed man went on, noticing two samurais walking opposite him, "I ain't planning to explode myself so you two better not touch that stupid bomb of yours! Damn, why _why why_ must you all end it in violence? Where the hell is that bomb anyways?"

"Katzura-zan has hidden it somewhere nobody can find. It's inside a blue box. And as I have told you—it must be handled with precaution."

"Blue box?" Gintoki looked ahead of him and finally saw the two samurai up close. The two men were walking towards him with one carrying a blue box and shaking it in the air saying—

"They've told us to take anything suspicious from that Katsura's room? This is suspicious right? What do you think is inside this?"

He shook the blue box more, making Gintoki's face to fall off with a dark background—

And then his foot came kicking away—

"YIEEE! _STOP SHAKING THAT YOU ASS!"_

_"GAHHHH!"_

* * *

><p><strong>~To be continued~<strong>

_Definitely things will clash next time!_

_Question would be, is it swords? Heads? Or Samurais!?_

_(HELL YEAH TO THE ULTIMATE FIGHT IN THE MANGA EVER!)_

**Thank you for reading!**


	7. Contempt 7

*** Too Much Familiarity Breeds Contempt***

_by: **WhiteGloves**_

**_CONTEMPT 7_**

_"It's Katsura."_

_"No one's talking about you."~ _Takasugi Shinsuke

_"It's Gintoki." _

_"I don't even like you."~ Takasugi Shinsuke_

_"Antisocial." mutters the two_

**_Enjoy Reading!_**

* * *

><p>It was day time and we see the background of the Yorozuya head quarters where everything and anything goes. Not much has changed since then— ah, <em>no<em>. Nothing has changed at all. It was _still _the background only.

A black haired boy wearing a distinctive pair of glasses placed down a circular metal tray on a table and placed an empty cup on it that he took from the table. His eyes were not seen on his glasses as he looked up and glanced at the man sitting on the Yorozuya leader's chair which was turned and facing the opposite direction.

"What did the customer want?" he asked quietly.

There was a moment's pause and then—

"She wants us to tail her husband who she thinks is having an affair." A deep voice answered from the chair from an unknown source, "I told her we'll accept it since we're the Yorozuya, but she has to wait for several days since we're loaded with cases right now."

"Uh…cases? Why does it sound like we're acting as a detective agency or something?"

"It's alright, Patsuu-san since we're the _Yorozuya_."

"What Yorozuya? You keep accepting job requests and then shun them and make them wait like that! And you told the same thing to the last customer we had here yesterday. No wait— _you said that to the very first customer we've ever had!"_

"It was a job well done, wasn't it? I can't remember…"

_"No, how can you have a recollection of that when we've never done any of those cases in the first place! What are we, collecting number of customers?! _And why are you even accepting them!? Something is definitely off here…"

The chair slightly moved, threatening to face forward but the man behind it didn't continue turning as he said—

"Quiet now, Patsuu-san and come bring me my regular shake. It's almost afternoon."

The glasses boy stood up—

"Something is really off here! How come you gotta order me around and act as if you're the leader here?"

"Quit yapping and also give me the remote. It's almost time for Ketsuno Ana's regular report."

The megane boy's eyes flashed as the chair turned to reveal the owner of the voice, making Shinpachi point a shaking finger at the man.

"_Oiii! You're not supposed to say that! WHY ARE SAYING THAT!? AND WHY ARE YOU SITTING THERE ACTING LIKE YOU'RE THE YOROZUYA LEADER HERE—HASEGAWA-SAN!?_

Hasegawa, who was wearing the Yorozuya leader's white kimono and black inside clothes, picked his nose with his glasses flashing.

"You're really starting to annoy me, Patsuu-san. Can't you just give me the things I asked for? Really, and I haven't even read the latest _JUMP _yet."

Panic rose from Shinpachi's throat.

"Why are you interested in _JUMP!? _You've never read JUMP! Come to think of it _you've never had a JUMP! Why are you wearing Gin-san's clothes!? Why are you doing Gin-san's dirty habits!? WHY ARE YOU LIVING IN GIN-SAN'S HOUSE!? Quit acting like you're Gin-san, HASEGAWA-SAN!"_

The boy dropped on the chair with his head bow and shoulders hunched, making the madao leader looked at him suddenly.

"Gin-san's been missing for five days," Shinpachi went on with a worried look, "although it's like him to disappear without saying anything at all, I'm worried of what has happened to him."

Hasegawa straightened from the chair.

"Didn't you say he went after Zurachii the last time?"

"I did… and that's what is making me more worried," the megane boy sighed, "he went after Katsura-san when it was apparent that Katsura-san has joined forces with Takasugi-san. Even the whole Edo's in alert because of their joined forces. And after the recent attack on the Shogun, I'm sure even if Katsura-san manages to return he'd be one of the most wanted men in Edo like Takasugi-san."

"That's the Kiheitai leader, huh?"

"Yeah… and you know how Katsura-san sometimes is in his own world. The last time I remember he was really in bad terms with Gin-san… to make matters worse Takasugi-san who hates Gin-san too has to join those two idiots. I'm not sure if this Takasugi-san is also as idiotic as those two dumbasses but he's definitely not a good blend with them… not when they're both stubborn like that."

"Hmmm…" the shades guy dropped his elbows on the chair and leaned his bearded chin on it with a questionable look on his face, "those two are both Jouishishi patriots too…huh? Gin-san's old comrades?"

"Yeah… those three just sort of drifted apart after the war and Gin-san ended here. At least that's what I've heard. Now he's somewhere fighting his comrades out there and against them! I wanted to help him but there's really no trace of them here."

"How can you be sure he's with them?"

"Hm?" Shinpachi looked up, and then looked down the table, "it's not like Gin-san to let Katsura-san just like that. Takasugi-san's the one on the edge but Katsura-san's always been on Gin-san's side ever since then. And Gin-san knows Katsura-san. I'm sure he's not just out there to finish him off… but rather to take him back. I'm sure he trusts Katsura-san."

"If that's the case then what did they argue about in the first place?"

Shinpachi's background darkened with cold sweat on his face.

"Let's not even talk about it. That's something even I am not sure about."

"I think it's natural for even the best of friends to fight sometimes you know."

"_No. _You definitely don't know how _these kinds of idiots fight._ When they fight the whole world is at stake."

Hasegawa gave out a loud laugh.

"You're exaggerating too much, Patsuu-san!" but when it appeared like the megane boy didn't look like he was _exaggerating at all,_ the man paused to stare and the cleared his throat saying, "J-Jouishishi, you say?" the bearded madao man put a finger on his chin looking thoughtful, "That's gotta be tough. I mean, it sounds like they're both as tough as Gin-san. To really think he's got his match after all."

Shinpachi nodded while tipping the tray again and again on his hands.

"Yeah… all three of them fought in the war. And they're a match to Gin-san in skills since they studied under one sensei…and even though Katsura-san does tend to act like a real idiot he does have terrific skills. And Gin-san did say Takasugi-san was a really dangerous enemy who won't hesitate to cut friends or foe alike…"

Hasegawa-san was quiet for awhile as he heard this and after a few moments of silence he lit a cigarette and started smoking with his face serious and all. Then he spoke again—

"_Childhood friends are scary, huh?"_

Shinpachi glanced at him.

"I mean," the old man continued, "they've known you for a very long time that they even know your best and worst secrets. You share to them something you don't on many people because before you even realize they're your _worst_ secrets they're already out for them to know. Those are childhood friends. They're like _parents. _You can't replace nor choose em'."

"H-Hasegawa-san…?" a sweat dropped fell down the megane boy's face. "Why does it feel like you're taking this from experience?"

"Nah…that's not it," the man shook his head, "I don't have any childhood friends to share any sweet memories with… actually as far as I can remember I've been a _man with beard."_

"Y-you're kidding…?"

"I really don't know. Otherwise I could have run to my old friends when my life got all shitty… but look at me now? Clinging on someone whom I've just met in my old age. That's Gin-san for you."

"Well, Gin-san never shuts the door to old or new friends," Shinpachi smiled a little, "but it'll be an entirely different matter when he comes back and learns you've been living in his house and taking his supplies to survive."

"What? We're friends, aren't we?"

"What friend? You're like a leech here, Hasegawa-san!"

"Hey, I'm just putting a balance on this show! Since Gin-san is not around, who am I to not fulfill whatever he has left behind? I'm doing this because we're true friends!"

"It's different when you _literally_ fulfill in his clothes and chair and fulfill your stomach with his snack!"

"That's part of his job description!" he stuck a finger inside his nose.

"His job description doesn't mean you'd be his exact _carbon copy!_ And I said stop copying his dirty habit too! Gin-san wouldn't want another one of himself in the world—NO! The world is better with only one _GIN-SAN _in the world! He's the one ripping off of others! _He won't approve of any character rip off on him_!"

There was then the sound of the shoji door being opened followed by a voice saying—

"I'm back, Patsuu—"

Both Hasegawa and Shinpachi, who were wrestling with the white kimono, looked around as the door to the living room was pushed aside to open—and there came another person wearing the same white kimono and black undershirt with her eyes dull as a fish with hair permed and carrying a _JUMP_ copy on her pale skinned hand.

"K-" the megane boy started with eyes in shock— "Kagura-chan?!"

"You're so loud early in the morning, Patsuu," the Yato girl said in her dullest voice yet, as she crossed the room and threw the _JUMP_ copy on the sofa, "why are you making such a ruckus inside my house? Geez, ain't you guys ashamed of yourselves, bastards. And Shinpachi go give me my milkshake today."

"_OI!" _the megane boy screamed in outraged as Hasegawa dropped himself on the couch after picking up the magazine while Kagura sat on the leader's chair with a finger on her ear, "why are you acting like Gin-san!? Why's everybody acting like Gin-san!? And why's everyone asking for Gin-san's milkshake!?"

"Go get it already, Patsuu!" they said in unison.

"_Oiiiii!"_

* * *

><p>Inside a large ship in the outer space, another commotion was happening. A man wearing a green jumpsuit is seen running around the corridors with his left hand seemingly trying to go on the opposite direction.<p>

"_Oi! What are you doing to my arm, damn head!?" _the real Yorozuya leader cried as he stopped running to look behind him as his left arm was twisted backward as the head controlling it try to pull from it, "_you're ripping my arm, you idiot! That's not even yours to begin with!"_

"The bomb!" the head struggled to say with its beeping machine like sound, "why did you leave the bomb there!"

"Who in their right mind would carry a dangerous thing like that, you brainless head? Only you and Zura would actually imagine carrying that around with your feet in the air! Now quit your struggles and let's get to that other brainless maniac like you! Don't worry its safe there! Only idiots would try and look for it there!"

"But Katzura-zan's order is absolute! We must detonate the bomb!"

"Weren't you listening!?" Gintoki raged on as he pulled the head to the level of his face and plastered his forehead on it, "I said I ain't getting blown up with this ship and I ain't getting blown up! If you wanna get blown up then go ahead but I ain't coming with you in any metallic dream world! I ain't planning in going to bits in the outer space so if you don't stop whining I'll throw you in the pit!"

Silence fell from the robot head.

"But Katzura-zan will definitely detonate it sooner or later." It said with absoluteness.

"Like hell I'll let him," the green uniformed man answered back with confidence, "I'll throw the two of you in the pit if you both don't stop yapping about detonating bombs and all that crappy stuff. And that Katsura's never learned… still choosing death above everything? Like he hasn't learned anything from me!"

"What could Katzura-zan possibly learn from a janitor?" the robot inquired, making Gintoki's eyes flash and to look at it straight in the eye.

"Oi. Don't you belittle me. Even janitors such as myself can use a thing called brain and common sense. Isn't it obvious what I'm gonna tell him? I'm gonna say on his face _that life isn't at all that bad even if the entire race in the universe throws all the shit in him like a dump!"_

He tilted the robot up.

"That's the same for you," the Yorozuya leader continued, "just because your body's already been trashed away doesn't mean it's the end. As long as you're functioning, even a _head_ can live in this world normally. And you just might not know—maybe in the future you'd meet more people you would cherish. And how would you know that if you just blow yourself in this endless abyss, huh?"

"J-Janitor-zan…"

Gintoki smiled. "Oh yeah, what's your name?"

The robot looked as if it was surprised—then answered promptly—

"_Picolo."_

_"WHY PICOLO!? YOU'RE NO WHERE NEAR ANY PICOLO, YOU ASS! You can be called an android but WHY PICOLO!?"_

The silver haired samurai went on but before the robot could speak again, they heard panting and shouting behind them. Looking around, the janitor and the head found three samurais half walking and half running toward them with the two supporting the one in the middle who seemed to be injured.

"What's up?" the janitor asked as he hid the head behind him.

"There's an idiot raging about at hall 3," one of the samurai said with gritted teeth, "now out of the way."

The green uniformed man stood aside to let them pass. They were closely followed by four more samurais who were all shouting about 'an idiot' at hall 3. As the janitor watched them go, he pulled his eyes back toward the place where all the men had come from.

"Even strangers know his secret name. God, Zura really doesn't need childhood friends for his secrets after all. Ain't he crystal clear?"

And the next thing—the man in his green jumpsuit was seen running in the direction of the hall.

* * *

><p>When he came to the large gate that indicated <em>HALL 3<em>, the janitor did not think twice to enter since there were men who still kept on coming in and out of the room. What met his eyes, however, caught him off guard as there—in the middle of the wide room—was a ship with the insignia of the _Harusame_ pirates. Kiheitai samurais were also running here and there as if some commotion had just happened previously. White smokes were drifting from inside the ship and red lights were circling around the walls.

Gintoki paused to take it all in and realized the number of the Kiheitais. Then again he also wondered how many Amantos were present around from the ship. Then—_like hell_. Who cares about those when there was Takasugi to take into consideration?

He cautiously looked around and found no sign of the one eyed Kiheitai leader. That's when he decided to step closer to take a look around for any sign of the long haired samurai.

That was when he felt a _cold, penetrating presence _behind him that made him stop at all cost.

"Hn?" said that familiar voice that made Gintoki made a face at his luck, "and just _who the hell are you?_"

"W-well," he started, daring a side glance behind him with his voice oddly high pitched, "I'm just one of your—"

Before the janitor could finish his word he felt a sudden death assault behind him and the next thing he was seen dodging around and jumping about as a slash came next to the place he was standing on a second ago.

Takasugi's eye was wide open as he pointed his blade at the man who had straightened up after securing a reasonable distance between him and the Kiheitai leader.

Then the Janitor's shades were cut into two that fell in the floor, revealing his red, dull fish like eyes. Beside him on his left hand, the robot tried to speak but Gintoki hushed him at once.

"Oi, oi," the Yorozuya leader muttered as he gazed and kept his eyes at the one eyed man who was also staring at him intently, "you didn't just try to kill your own janitor, did you?"

"Oi, oi," Takasugi replied with the same tone as Kiheitai members surround them, "I don't ever recall hiring such a dirty janitor to begin with. And you didn't think I wouldn't recognize you with that silly attire, did you, _Gintoki?"_

The man reached a hand to his green cap and removed it, revealing his naturally silver colored hair, making those around them gasp in surprise as they recognize him.

"It's the _Shiroyasha!"_

_"It's the Yaksha!" _they all hissed and then swords were heard being unsheathed one by one.

Gintoki still kept his eyes at Takasugi since he knew it was the most crucial thing to do.

"Really now," he said after awhile as he dropped the cap down the floor, "now I'm really wondering who the closest one to who is. I mean, Zura didn't even recognize me at one glance and here you are destroying my disguise."

"Don't be absurd," the Kiheitai leader said with his eye narrowing, "I'm not an idiot like Katsura. You were counting on that side of him were you? So Katsura didn't bring you here? You came by yourself. No wonder I felt like there was a rat lurking around. Turned out it was a _white_ rat. What are you doing here, Gintoki? Trying to stop Katsura in his idiotic schemes?"

"Oi, oi, is that even a good phrase to describe your ally now?"

"Ally? Oh that's right. He's now an _ally_." A smirk spread on the Kiheita leader's face, something that didn't leave a good impression on the silver haired samurai.

"Where's Katsura?"

Takasugi's eyes glinted.

"Fast to catch up, aren't you?" he taunted, "you don't need to worry about him Gintoki. You know Katsura can always take care of himself. If there's someone you need to worry about, why not worry about yourself?"

At that same time, a sound of a metal door was heard grinding and vibrating from the _Harusame _ship. Gintoki looked at the corner of his eyes with his whole body still attentive to Takasugi's movements. From the corner of his eyes he saw that there was a shadow of men coming out of the opening—then a voice came—

"He's killed the Amanto in charge of the ship, Shinsuke," Bansai called as he emerged from the shadow of the door, "but I've managed it, I think. Well, it's pretty simple to just meddle with someone's brain just like that even for me."

Then another person came out, and this time the Yorozuya leader had to look behind.

The man was none other than the long haired samurai, Katsura Kotaro, but there was something a little different to him. His eyes were dark and there was a gaunt look on his expression as if he had just experienced extreme pain. There were two white chips on either side of his forehead and this made Gintoki frown. Especially when Katsura moved as if he was—in his very own—_a robot._

"Z-Zura…?"

Bansai looked over at Gintoki and stared.

"Shiroyasha." Then he gazed over at the Kiheitai leader who had sheathed his sword.

"This will be fun." He muttered with a glint on his eye, "Gintoki, why don't you and Zura play for a bit?"

And he threw a sword on Gintoki's way. It struck itself on the nearest floor beside the Yorozuya leader.

"Oi…oi…" the silver haired samurai muttered as he turned to look at the long haired samurai who was still motionless on his spot, "what the hell did you do with that idiot?"

"We tampered in his memory a bit," Bansai explained quietly as he threw a blade on Katsura's way who reached for it automatically like a trained soldier, "the Harusame recently acquired this device from some Amantos called _Renhos_ who had with them a memory alternating device. We wanted to test it on the members... but since Katsura's been generous enough, we took his offer gladly."

"Don't be an idiot…" Gintoki then whispered as he clutched a sword that was thrown to him, "you seriously want me to fight an already brain damaged guy whose head got damaged _again?_!"

"Katzura-zan?" the robot in his left hand muttered.

"I specifically instructed him to destroy _everything…" _the ear phoned samurai said calmly, "that basically is what the Kiheitai is for. By putting input of hatred in his head he would likely respond to what we truly aim for."

"Uh, so you mean you input in his already damaged brain that he's got to hate everything? Just like some rich bastard who got to hate everything in front of him because his parents spoiled him so much, is that it?"

Bansai went silent as he looked over to Takasugi.

Takasugi remained still but his background was dark and gloomy.

"Oi," he then said after awhile, "are you referring to—?"

"Alternating memories of brains and the likes, like I've never heard of that before…" the Yorozuya leader muttered with a look as Katsura took a step forward with a sword ready at hand, "But are you all serious about this? Touching this guy's head… I'd rather touch anything but that! Because this guy's brain…"

Bansai nodded as a command and the next thing—Katsura had leapt for an attack—

"_Oraaaaaahhh!"_

Gintoki gritted his teeth—

"GYAHHH!""

—and then everybody watched as the damned Katsura Kotarou went on attacking the Kiheitai samurais around with his blade, chasing them madly as others struggle to fight back with the long haired samurai's eyes in rage and his sword cutting here and there—

"W-why's he attacking us!?"

"Quick—run outside!"

"_GYahhhh!"_

"…" Bansai watched as the long haired samurai went wild chasing the men around, swinging his sword back and fro as he went after them madly shouting—

"_Destroy everything!"_

Takasugi chose to keep his eyes under his hair.

Gintoki pointed at them both.

"You idiots—that guy_ doesn't even have a brain to begin with! So where d'you think all those hatred went?"_

"Tsk!" the ear phone man turned and entered the _Harusame _ship again while Gintoki watched Katsura go around like a maniac.

"What's wrong with Katzura-zan?" the robot asked

"Like what I always thought of you to be," he muttered. Just as he has made up his mind to stop the raging long haired samurai and to stop the spill of blood—he felt that aura, yet again, aiming at him.

And Gintoki swung his sword in order to meet Takasugi's blade.

And the two clashed once again with streaks of sharp wind almost sending them apart again with scratches on each side of their faces.

"He's really an idiot," Takasugi muttered with a murderous glare in his eye, "no, _you're both idiots."_

"You're by far the biggest idiot, you bastard!" Gintoki answered back as he dodged his head and pulled his sword back, making Takasugi take the advantage and attack him again ruthlessly—

The two exchange blows with the sword ringing on both their ears while Katsura did a number on the Kiheitais.

"What's with that hand?" the one eyed samurai suddenly hissed as he aimed at Gintoki's left side again and again. The silver haired samurai found it harder to dodge since his left hand was heavier than normal—with the robot head still attached to it.

And Takasugi noticed that.

"_That head…!"_

Gintoki gritted his teeth and avoided an attack that had nearly sliced Picolo in half.

"_Leave the head alone!" _he swore, seeing a blow coming from Takasugi again and taking it on—sending him on the metal wall that nearly robbed him off his breath.

Takasugi was on him in an instant—

Gintoki was fast too in holding his sword out—but not fast enough as the Kiheitai leader's tip of the blade found his throat. There was no seconds to count and no words for Takasugi to spare as he was about to struck Gintoki—

Only to feel Katsura's presence right behind him and was second early in swinging his sword—

Takasugi had to hold his sword up to defend himself and when their blades clashed—he audibly heard the long haired samurai say, _"Destroy everything!"_

"You're still not right in the head?" Takasugi muttered, sending a leg on Katsura's stomach—and kicking him straight and sliding down the floor. The Kiheitai leader then grabbed his sword and went back to Gintoki who had raised a sword at him too but was surprised to find a weight on his left side— pulling him back.

Looking back, he found that the head was stuck on the wall; making him unable to move.

_Shit…!_

The Kiheita leader spared no breath as he struck the white haired samurai in right shoulder and attached him on the metal wall using the sword—

Blood gushed out from the deep cut—and Gintoki gave out a silent agony.

It wasn't over however, as Takasugi suddenly leapt away from him and walked toward the long haired samurai who was still on the floor with his face down, his back exposed.

"!" Gintoki's eyes widened and more curses flew from his mouth.

He watched as the Kiheitai leader took a sword lying around and headed toward where Katsura was.

"You're still as useless as ever, Katsura," he said without any expression save an evil look as he gazed at the samurai, "well… whatever. Who needs you anyways?"

A murderous glint came on his eyes. The sword was raised.

As he struck it down to end that one life, _he knew and believe that man will come._

_And come he did._

In a blink of an eye, Gintoki Sakata was found meeting the Takasugi's blade with the very same blade that struck him a moment ago. The head was no longer on his left hand and he was actually using both hands already.

"Oi… oi…" he said for the last time that day with his lips barely moving as he defended the long haired samurai on the floor with his eyes possessing the same glint that Takasugi's eye has, and continued with the same poisoned attitude voice— "_just whose back do you think you're pointing that blade at, huh? Just who do you think is looking after that back… HUH?"_

Takasugi's eye narrowed as Gintoki grinned like a demon at him.

"_Takasugi… that back's mine!"_ and he slashed his sword away.

* * *

><p><strong>~To be continued~<strong>

_Somebody KNOCK on Katsura's BRAIN!_

_His missing the good part!_

_FIGHTO!_

**Thank you for reading!**


	8. Contempt 8

*** Too Much Familiarity Breeds Contempt***

_by: **WhiteGloves**_

**_CONTEMPT 8_**

_"There are no samurais here. _

_Just Two-Good-For-Nothings plus Two Brainless Idiots." ~ Takasugi Shinsuke_

**_Enjoy Reading!_**

* * *

><p><em>[144 hours earlier]<em>

_There was first—a long zipping sound followed by low beating beeps._

_Then from two tiny spots came rushing brightness as it came to function. The first thing 'It' saw were two odd features of men, ogling at it in close proximity._

_"Oi, look at that…" said a distant sound it could not recognize, "there's light! It's working!"_

_"Did you hear that?" said a second sound, "oi, go and call Katsura-san and Elizabeth-san!"_

_There were some minimal movements about but 'It' was blank of anything happening. It could not even understand why these strange people were hovering around its field of vision with their weird appearances. _

_Then came back the man who rushed away 1 minute and 8.07 second ago— as to what it recorded. The man came back followed by another person. But then it realized that this new person was different than anyone else. For one— the person's shape was unusually big and its color was purely white from head to toe._

_The latter part looked a bit hairy with yellow feet._

_ "What is going on?" said another voice the 'it' heard for the first time that didn't seem to belong to the hairy leg person. Then someone emerged from the back of the white creature. It was another man. A man with a long hair._

_ "Katsura-san," the person who had been ogling at it minutes before started, "this is the robot head you brought with you from Gengai-san's shop this morning. You said it was given to you as a replacement for the nanotechnology you were asking him of… uhh… do you remember that, Katsura-san?"_

_The Katsura person walked near 'it' and it saw the man ogle at 'it' too._

_"Hmmm…" he frowned in its face with a finger on his chin, "Isn't this Antoine-dono whom I was speaking to this afternoon?"_

_"Katsura-san, you were speaking to it but you haven't turned its power on yet."_

_"Why did you take Antoine-dono from his resting place? Did you disturb him for no reason?"_

_"Well, you just left him on a pillow, Katsura-san and when we found its power we thought of making a few modifications to it. Anyway, Katsura-san—it would be a total waste if we left this on a pillow! It's a prototype machine which is advance from its own kind—"_

_"Antoine-dono," Katsura's eyes rounded as he reached his hands to the head and raised it to the level of his face, ""it seemed that I have overestimated you. You were feigning your sleep while I was mulling over my secrets… so you actually heard them…?"_

_"Elizabeth-dono!" cried someone at the background, "Katsura-san's not listening again...! Ehhh? What do you mean leave him alone? This robot can really become useful!"_

_"Useful?" the long haired samurai turned his head to his men around._

_"Yes! This robot has a lot of potential! We could use this to attack the Shinsengumi. We could use this as a spy to their organization and attack them from the inside! Or we could let this robot hack into their database and get vital information! With a little modification this robot will be really—"_

_ "Is that true, Antoine-dono?" the long haired man cut off as he kept his eyes transfixed at the head, "So you really are that useful? Even if you were feigning sleep if you were really that great then…where's your pocket?"_

_"We—uhh…? K-Katsura-san?" _

_"I said its pocket." the Katsura repeated firmly as it turned the head this and that looking for it, "aren't robots supposed to have pockets? A robot is judged with its usefulness by its pocket. Doraemon-dono would not set that standard for all robots if it is not to be followed."_

_"P-pocket? K-Katsura-san, we have not yet finished its body—"_

_"Hey, where's your pocket?" the long haired man shook the head with a strange look in his eyes, "HEY! I'd like to see that pocket for myself! And if you're really awake now why isn't your expression changing, Antoine-dono!"_

_And he kept shaking the defenseless head._

_ "K-Katsura-san! It's impossible for the robot to answer you yet—what more robots are not supposed to have expressions to begin with…"_

_"So are you saying Doraemon-dono's expressions are false, huh?!"_

_"T-that…"_

_"And where are your paws? Doesn't Doraemon-dono have paws?"_

_"It's not a Doraemon, Katsura-san!"_

_"Right—it's not Doraemon! It's Antoine!"_

_The men around all looked weakly at each other again and then back to the long haired man who was still shaking the head. The 'It' head who had been called 'Antoine' a number of times saw the blurry image of the long haired person with its own mind making its own calculations of things albeit with difficulty from all the vibrations._

_"Calm down, Katsura-san," one of the men said with a stricken look on his face, "there's no point arguing to a robot—it won't answer back. It won't even get pissed at you no matter how many times you shout."_

_"Isn't that unfortunate?" A smirk appeared on the long haired man's face, "so Antoine-dono cannot actually argue back. He cannot even raise a hand let alone walk on his own. Then Antoine-dono… you have no way to tell them my secret."_

_"Katsura-san, you were just worried about the secrets you shared to him before!? Just what kind of secrets did you tell him for you to get desperate like that?!"_

_The robot head was placed down the table again and Katsura-turned away from it with his hand crossed on his chest as if nothing happened with that winning smile on his face._

_"It seemed like I need not bother Antoine-dono from his rest. Oh? What were you guys saying about a plan?"_

_The men around looked at each other, this time, their faces showing seriousness._

_"Katsura-san," said one of the men again, "With this robot here…we think we found the solution to our Kamikaze plan now."_

_ "__K-Kat...__Zu-ra—zaaan."_

_"It's not Zura. It's Katsura. And what of our Kamikaze plan? I told you I will not allow any sacrifices on our men."_

_"That's the point, Katsura-san. With this robot—"_

_"ZZura-zaaan."_

_"It's not Zura. It's Katsura. I see, so that's what it is."_

_"W-we haven't finished explaining, Katsura—"_

_"Zzura...Zan...!"_

_"I said it's not Zura!" the long haired samurai turned behind him with everybody going silent, "It's KATSURA!"_

_Silence fell in the group of men as all their eyes fell on the object calling the long haired samurai. It made all of them zip their lips as the head opened its metal mouth. Katsura stared down at the head too whose eyes were on him. Then—_

_"It's not Antoine." The robot head said with its cracking mechanic sound, "It's Picolo."_

_And before any could react—a loud beeping sound came from the head, followed by something red flashing from its eyes and shooting pass their heads— making such a loud explosion after them._

_"GYAHHH!" cried the men as they ducked and ran "it's shooting laser!"_

_"It's got a weapon!"_

_"It's a laserrrrrrr!"_

_Katsura remained rooted on his spot as the head continued its rampage with its laser beam, his eyes wide and full of disbelief. The robot stopped to stare back at him too._

_The long haired samurai opened his mouth as he pointed his finger at 'it'._

_"You… you're Picolo!?"_

_"This ain't a time for that, Katsura-san! He's got a laser! A laser! Gyahhh!"_

_More sound of laser came._

* * *

><p><em>A tea was placed in front of 'it' called 'Picolo'.<em>

_It found itself sitting with none other than the same long haired samurai an hour later inside a quiet room where the moon was out on the window._

_"Drink, Picolo-dono," Katsura said with eyes closed as he set another tea to himself, "I'm sorry for mistaking you for Antoine-dono. You must look like him a lot that's why I mistook you."_

_"…"_

_"And they've found you a body. My men are quick when needed. I told them to run down to Gengai's shop. Looked at what he gave you. You just look like another person I know… here look at the mirror!"_

_And he produced a mirror from somewhere. Picolo saw a view of himself—a metal head same as before—and then a blue, round body with white middle and a pocket on it._

_"You must know Doraemon-dono as well, Picolo-dono!"_

_"…"_

_"You're awfully quiet. Is this your first time with tea?" the long haired samurai took the tea and sip on it._

_Picolo watched him and automatically raised its paw like hands with which Katsura fondly looked at. _

_Yet the paw like hand didn't even reach down the cup as it was too short. Picolo paused, and then leaned a little closer. When its paw touched the cup it realized then that it could not hold it—there were nothing to close its palm on!_

_Opposite him, the long haired samurai remained watching with a smile plastered on his face._

_And Picolo reached down forcefully, only making the cup topple on the other side and fell on the floor._

_Katsura watched the cup and then looked up back at the head._

_"I see… so the tea was not to your liking? I apologize, Picolo-dono. Do you want me to prepare coffee instead?"_

_Picolo did not react so the long haired man nodded and remained looking at him._

_"I'm sorry for the confusion awhile back again. Allow me to introduce myself once more—I am Katsura Kotarou, the leader of this group that you have just joined in. We are the proud Jouishishi Faction that protects this nation from the Amantos and the government alike. You are familiar with Amantos, are you not?"_

_"Amantos," Picolo nodded, having registered it on its mind, "faction. Katsura Kotarou."_

_"That's right," the leader went on eagerly, "and I did say you 'joined' but do you have any résumé on you, Picolo-dono?"_

_"Résumé?"_

_"I see. Then you are hired." said Katsura without blinking. "You are now a member of this faction. Congratulations!" he clapped by himself._

_"…"_

_"And since you are now a member of my faction you will follow all my orders. My orders are absolute, Picolo-dono as I am the leader of the faction. Do you have any problem with that?"_

_"Orders?"_

_"It means we work together to accomplish our goal."_

_"What is our goal, Katzura-zan?" was Picolo's first inquiry that made Katsura pause for awhile and close his eyes after._

_"Justice and Freedom… in the name of the Samurai."_

_"Samurai?"_

_Katsura paused again, and then smiled._

_"It seemed like you have a lot to learn. I might as well share it to you."_

_He then out his hand inside his kimono and produced a stack of red card from inside his chest pocket and put it on the table._

_"I will share to you all my knowledge of being a samurai using this. Lots of relationships have been tested by this game—both for the good and the bad. With this we can strengthen our bonds as comrades. Though this is not my lucky hand since that bastard Gintoki had it thrown to Sadaharu-dono I still have this spare."_

_"Gintoki?" it rang a familiar bell._

_"Never mind him. Anyways, I still have a full five hours before the UNO Championship commences. I can teach you many things. Are you ready to learn all about a samurai, Picolo-dono?"_

_And the stack of cards were shuffled and handed down to two._

_[139 hours earlier] Katsura Kotarou was laughing inside the room when the white bodied hairy legged being came and open the shoji doors._

_"Ah, Elizabeth! Looked, I won again in this game against Picolo-dono."_

_Elizabeth looked at the robot who was emitting loud beeping sounds and had been shooting his laser beam around after every lost. The game certainly made Picolo-dono understand the word 'lost.'_

_"Well, Picolo-dono," Katsura said as he placed all the cards in the middle of the table, "it is almost time for my battle. I had fun winning—I mean, teaching you the ways of the samurais. I will see you later."_

_And it watched the man go out of the room silently._

_An hour later, Katsura Kotarou lost in the UNO Championship._

_Picolo was there too when the long haired samurai turned his back to them and joined that man in black hood._

_It could not understand what was happening. But that alarming feeling dwelled inside its head when all his men roared in protest and disbelief. Yet Katsura Kotarou continued walking away—_

_The idea of shooting its laser became very tempting— the beeping sound became loud—_

_Only—the white bodied Elizabeth-dono smacked its head and it lost all ideas._

* * *

><p><em>[95 hours earlier]<em>

_"AHahahahah~AHahahahah~ Ahahahaha~ so that's what Zura's been doing huh, Elizabeth?"_

_Picolo found itself standing in a ship carrying a blue box which has been entrusted to him by the white bodied creature after explaining the plan of retrieving their leader._

_Now he found himself with another weird person whose brown hair and strangely intoxicating laugh was filling his head with information. The brown haired man in the red coat was speaking to Elizabeth-dono through the screen way back in the earth. _

_Then the person turned to him and it noticed its two black tiny shades._

_"Jaaaa, Elizabeth, then I'll take care of things from here," the man said in such a light mood, "I haven't seen Zura in a long time but how he ended up with Takasugi is pretty amusing! Takasugi'll be pissed, I'm sure. He's not an easy person to get along with but yeah, he's Takasugi~ Ahahaha~ Ahahahah~! Imagine them in one ship, those two? It's like two egg yolks in one container!"_

_"You're wasting time as usual," commented a lone looking woman wearing a kasa hat and long blue coat, "just give him the damn ship that he needs and let him go. We'll be on standby for the return ship."_

_"Stand by?" the brown haired man looked at the lady._

_"You're not planning to get this ship anywhere the Kiheitai, are you?"_

_"A...a...AHahahaha~ Ahahahah... why is that a bad idea?"_

_The woman sighed and kicked the man at his back side's rear end and then she gave the command._

_And Picolo wondered who was the boss between the two._

_[55 hours earlier]_

_After its ship was successfully smuggled inside that large Kiheitai ship courtesy of Katsura who also sent out the transmitter, Picolo immediately met the long haired samurai and the two cautiously proceeded in a private quarter._

_The next thing, the two were seen facing each other in the middle of the dark with the blue box on top of the single table in the room. Picolo had just finished relaying the message given to him by their second in command—Elizabeth._

_"So the plan begins…" Katsura whispered as he looked at the box seriously, "I knew Elizabeth would understand my decision of joining up in this ship and even had Tatsuma's help… but I didn't think that you…"_

_He looked at Picolo who already looked like a real human with his clothing and 'body'._

_Katsura's eyes narrowed._

_"You would look hideous in that."_

_"Hideous?"_

_"Why did you have to replace Doraemon's body? Didn't you realize how useful his pocket is right now? You could have placed this box inside there and let it out when needed. Didn't you realize we're trying to keep a low profile?"_

_"Katzura-zan, Elizabeth-dono specifically instructed me to bear with this body. Though admittedly it is handier than having those round hands with me."_

_"They are unique." Katsura crossed his arms, "You've become much talkative after being left in the charge of Elizabeth. As expected of Elizabeth. Then, what did he instruct you next?"_

_"Elizabeth-dono said you are to escape on the return ship and leave me with the final task of detonating the bomb. I have studied the component of this explosive and it will be too dangerous for you to be around it before the explosion. You must be with quite a distance before I can—"_

_"…" Katsura stared at the blue box and then closed his eyes._

_"Katzura-zan?"_

_The long haired samurai did not say anything for a moment but kept his silence. Picolo was on the stand by not knowing what was bothering the Jouishishi leader._

_Then—_

_"You're the one who will return back, Picolo-dono."_

_"Katzura-zan?"_

_"I will take care of the bomb myself."_

_"But…"_

_"No," Katsura shook his head as he opened his eyes and stared at the robot, "this was my plan to begin with. To have a new member like you be sacrificed for the purpose of stopping an old comrade… I do not think it is your job. What more… I have further business to end with him."_

_Silence fell between the two. There was a long beeping sound from the robot all of a sudden._

_"I cannot let that happen, Katzura-zan."_

_The long haired samurai shot him a look._

_"Picolo-dono..."_

_"Katzura-zan, I understand this job when I took it. It has been decided that I do this job. I was made for this. I am a robot after all."_

_"I do not care if you are a robot. You are a comrade still. I think that is what you truly don't understand."_

_"You are my comrade too, Katzura-zan!"_

_"..."_

_"Katzura-zan…" came its voice again, "Elizabeth-dono thought you might say that. Still, he insists that you return. And I agree with him… and even if Elizabeth-dono didn't tell me, I'd still prefer that you go back and leave this place."_

_"A mere robot saying his own opinion?" Katsura smirked, "what exactly has Elizabeth been teaching you?"_

_"You're the one who taught me the important rule of friendship, Katzura-zan."_

_The Jouishishi leader paused with eyes transfixed at the robot, then he closed his eyes with a smile._

_"I guess there's nothing left to teach you. You have become a true member of the Jouishishi faction. But I told you before, Picolo-dono. My orders are absolute. I will be the one to end this once and for all. All you need to do is to 'go'."_

_Picolo stared. Then that loud beeping sound started again—_

_Katsura jumped right at him— forcing him not to shoot its laser._

_"Don't wreck havoc when the bomb's here, Picolo-dono! Now listen, I have a message that you must give to Elizabeth... listen well too... you must not get caught."_

_[3 hours earlier] Picolo was caught in the escape ship and got beheaded by Katsura Kotarou himself._

* * *

><p><em>[Present time]<em>

In the middle of the commotion, one helpless _object_ was left stuck on a cracked wall. It took seconds before it recovered from the sudden slam that shook few screws here and there. When it did recover, its eyes glowed and the first thing it saw was something _white and green_ passing before it in a flash.

_Janitor-san?_

That was when the full view of what was happening came to it—

Moving too fast, it saw the silver haired man clash swords with a black haired man whom he knew to be their enemy. He had seen samurais train back in Edo but Picolo had never seen men fight like _them._ Just watching the two made his brain bulged with information.

That was when it noticed someone down on the floor—someone with that familiar long hair—

Making Picolo's beeping sound turn into an alarm— _Katzura-zan!?_

Yet it could not move having been reduced to a mere head but it well functioned as it watched more of the enemy swarm the area. And its leader remained on the floor while the silver haired man acted for him— but then more men came around ready to strike at the back of the two.

Picolo stared. Then—

A loud _zrrrrrooooooooooooooooooommmmmmmmmmm! _filled the air as then walls after walls got blown away with the robot's eyes setting his laser to each and everyone attacking the janitor and Katsura.

Takasugi looked around him in surprise.

"What?" he muttered but then felt the Shiroyasha below him give a mighty force and knocked their heads together— blood oozed from both heads—with one too distinct because of his silver hair.

"Keep that head straight, _Takasug_i! I might cut it for you!" Gintoki shouted fiercely as he swerved his sword from his right and slashed it right at the one eyed man's torso—

Takasugi backed away and dodged him, his grip on his sword tightening—then he saw the silver haired man looking over at the head with eyes wide open and jaw dropped— totally unfocused.

"Oi! _You can shoot a damn laser!?"_

"_Tsk!"_ the black haired man grinded his teeth as he set a foot and flew towards the Yorozuya leader,_ "keep your head open! Can't ever bother to listen to your half assed advised, GINTOKI!"_

The two exchanged blows again—their eyes both glinting and teeth grinding.

Each stroke and cut of their swords became lethal after that as the Kiheitai leader became more aggressive second by second. The silver haired man didn't budge off as he met every stroke with his own blade—

The next thing he knew out of instinct, his elbow rose up and met a dagger that came out of nowhere—only to see Takasugi's evil grinning face at him with a dagger on his free hand. He had struck Gintoki in cold blood with the real aim at the man's neck only it failed.

—_blood splattered on the ground_—

In a second however, Gintoki's already injured elbow forced itself forward—and his knuckles made contact with Takasugi's cheek into a punch—sending the man falling back—

"_Been itching to do that_!" the silver haired man shouted as he breathed loudly and stood his ground with his bloody arms and hands still holding on his sword. He meant to follow the flying man but the flying laser caught his attention again—

All around them the Kiheitai members were still in panic as they try to avoid the shower of laser that Picolo was sending to all of them despite his bodiless appearance. Takasugi eyed the robot from the corner of his eye too as he straightened again, before averting it back to the lone man in front of him as he wiped his lips with the back of his hand.

"That's Katsura's idea, isn't it?" the Kiheitail leader muttered as his eyes found the still immobile Jouishishi leader on the floor, "that idiot never loses his touch when it comes to stupid things."

"And that stupid thing is keeping all your men dancing around, didn't you notice that?" Gintoki threw at him with a smirk on his face, "if you had stayed long enough with Katsura you'd have experienced more of his stupidities. But I don't think your opinion of him would change much anyways. He's still the same idiot as ever. I guess if I was you—I'd also want to kill him after all."

"Funny. I don't think you're the kind to think of killing a 'friend'."

Gintoki's face change somewhat into a grimace.

"You'd be surprised," he replied icily, "of how many times I've thought of killing each and one of them idiots hanging around me. Thing is— I just think it's even _stupider_ to end their lives in one shot. Listen— when they're dead then I couldn't have any more thoughts of killing them, could I? The more they're alive—the many times I can think of many ways to end them, you get what I mean?"

"Hehehe..." Takasugi chuckled with eye not visible, "you're really a sadistic person, Gintoki."

"Not as much as you are." the silver haired samurai said with a stern look on his face, "Quit your yapping now. You wanted this to end too, don't you? Do you really want to wait and get Katsura to blow up everything? Let the brainless sleep—this is between the two of us!"

Takasugi's eyes gleamed—

"Not quite." He replied.

The Yorozuya leader frowned—but then a sound of a sharp wind coming behind him alerted him for an upcoming attack—blocking it with his sword automatically defending him—he met a blade aimed to cut him.

"Oi, oi..." the silver haired samurai muttered as he looked at the corner of his eyes to his attacker, "aren't brainless people supposed to stay down or better yet rot in the ground?"

And Katsura was seen standing behind the Yorozuya leader with his sword at him, his eyes under the shadow of his hair.

Inside the _Harusame ship,_ Bansai was expertly sending commands promptly on the line attached to the long haired samurai's head. The command was easy to understand—and he continued tapping here and there.

Katsura launched attacks at Gintoki who was surprised the idiot was using all his skills—

"Oi—you!" he shouted as he got pissed and slashed the long haired man away but Katsura aptly dodged.

A moment's pause—and Katsura was after Gintoki again— leaving Takasugi chuckling after them as he followed the two exchange blows with his eye.

"Now where's your spirit, Ginto—!?"

Takasugi was not able to finish his word as in a blink of an eye—Katsura was also upon him with his blade ready to strike. The one eyed samurai drove him away with two strokes of his sword but found that the long haired samurai was adamantly after his flesh—

"Seemed like your brain washing is working well!" Gintoki called loudly, "Making him hate everything, eh? Oi, Takasugi—Katsura has always hated your—!?"

But Katsura was on him too—making Gintoki jump backwards again for Katsura was really skillful with his sword—"_What the hell's wrong with your head—!?"_

"Oi, Gintoki!" the one eyed man started again as in the next beat, the long haired samurai charged at him again, with their swords linking and clashing, "seemed like Katsura hates the two of us, don't you think? It has gotten a toll on him after all these years."

With a final clash, the one eyed man managed to throw Katsura in the middle of him and the silver haired man. The two of them stood still while the lone man in the middle remained unmoving.

A three way fight.

Picolo had subdued the number of enemies coming from the entrance, but when he looked at the place where Katsura was on—he was surprised to see him fight with the other two. Another surprising thing was—nobody of the three seemed to be on the side of the other.

"Katzura-zan?!"

"Just what you expect of Katsura," Gintoki whispered with a smirk, "always trying to take everyone down. I knew he was bound to kill even his comrades sooner or later. His discretion's really disturbing. Doesn't that remind you of a certain someone who'd kill even his friends, Takasugi?"

He turned a leering face at the one eyed man.

"I told you our relationship was never that sweet! I never liked the two of you to begin with," Takasugi said, his eyes suddenly becoming sharp, "and it's never just between us, isn't it, Gintoki? Katsura's part of it... and the idiot's also insisting on it despite not being in his right head."

"He's never right in the head," Gintoki muttered, his eyes on Katsura while he watch Takasugi at the corner of his eyes, "Come to think of it, both of you were never in your right heads to begin with! Why am I surrounded with _idiots, _seriously? I'll kill you."

"You're one to talk." The black haired man gripped his sword as he focused his eyes on the long haired samurai, "yet despite all your talk I doubt you'd be able to kill Katsura, Gintoki."

That shut Gintoki up as he gave the one eyed man a long look.

"Why would I even bother?"

"Then why'd you come here? It's funny how you always end up in places you're not invited in, Gintoki. If I had asked you this question before, I'd be asking it to you again—_why are you here? This was supposed to be between Katsura and myself... why didn't you just stay in your hole, huh?"_

"Who cares why I'm here? I don't even know why I'm here."

"That half assed answer again..."

"You're one to talk. If you really want Katsura dead, you would have killed him a long time ago. If there's anyone here half assed between us, it's you. Dang it, you're starting to become like an old recorder, bastard."

"..." Takasugi looked displeased, "It's not like I'm keeping you two alive cause I want to... if I am to continue hating this world, I must have something to remind me why I hate this world. Who do you think are my reminders of that, huh? Gintoki?"

The white haired samurai frowned while the one eyed man smiled—and both of them watched as finally, Katsura seemed to have made up his mind to attack again—

"Yeah, it's you and Katsura. The two of you are the only link I have to remember Shouyo-sensei... and when I see the two of you... it reminds me more of him... and the reason why I hate this world. It's ironic isn't it? The more you live, the more I reject this world we're living in. Then again... who said I need two...?"

Gintoki's eyes widened as Takasugi initiated a death attack toward the Jouishishi leader who at the same time— went on to attack the silver haired samurai.

"You bastard—!" Gintoki went on, heaving his body toward Katsura and Takasugi with sword ready—

Sounds of clashing swords—and more blood splattered on the ground as the three clashed—

And it was Takasugi's chuckle that reigned above them.

"Gintoki, you..." he started again as trickles of blood dropped on the floor, "never really get it didn't you? You're the only one still hung up in protecting your comrade's back. Now look where it got you."

The silver haired samurai coughed blood as we see Katsura's sword pierced through his left side when he attacked him. Gintoki's own sword at hand was above their heads and had met up with Takasugi's who aimed to cut down the long haired samurai in the middle of them. With a force, the one eyed man flicked the Yorozuya leader's sword away which fell with a clang meters away from them.

And the Kiheitai leader was about to send Gintoki's head next to their sensei when out of nowhere—a red beam of light caught him around the stomach—sending him toppling backwards—

Looking around, Gintoki smirked albeit with a painful face—_"Picolo's laserrr!"_

Takasugi gritted his teeth as he staggered on his feet, the injury he got burned against his skin— his own blood spilling.

Gintoki was the same as he gritted his teeth when Katsura pulled his sword and more blood splashed on the floor, making the silver haired samurai step backwards with a hand supporting his injury.

"Shit..." he muttered, looking up Katsura whose face showed no concern, "This is what I get because of your UNO rampage, you damn hack... ugh..."

Takasugi chuckled.

"Just stay there and die at his hands then, Gintoki. It's alright for you to die for a friend after all, isn't it?"

"Maybe you're the one not right in the head... who's my friend? _Who'd want to take this idiot here as a friend, huh? Even if he's brain washed or body washed or hair washed I wouldn't take him any closer to me... because that's Katsura, you idiot. Ughh... damn I'm cutting myself at laughing... ughh!"_

"And also," Gintoki continued as he raised his eyes to the one eyed man, "Don't make us your damn memorabilia to remember _him_, you bastard! Deciding when to kill us at your convenience... are you the one who squirted us outta your belly? You ain't even our mother! Don't make me laugh!"

An evil aura came out of Takasugi.

"I've just had enough of your loud mouth, Gintoki. It's about time for just the two of you to drop dead. Katsura, kill him."

A foot stepped, then another. Gintoki then found the long haired samurai staring at him with his unfazed, cold eyes. The silver haired man couldn't help but grimacing.

"O-oi... Zura... why does it feel like you're really not controlled after all? Uh... I get it. It's cause you're always dead serious like this even if you're doing stupid things. You must be stupid, huh?"

A sword was pointed at his face but Gintoki remained cool.

He coughed several times with a sweat drop at the side of his face.

"..." Katsura remained immobile.

"Just kill him already," Takasugi said, "finish him off."

And Gintoki saw the blade glint—its impending attack ready to come—and there— Katsura came at him like a mechanical doll with such a speed that made the silver haired man put all ounce of his energy in dodging. Next thing— he found himself trapped by a wall behind him and Katsura in front of him—

_Shit...!_

And all this while, Picolo was left to decide who he should shoot next for then—Katsura's strange behavior was new to him. Why was Katzura-zan attacking the Janitor? Didn't Janitor-zan protected him just now?

Such strange behavior from men.

"DIE AT HIS HANDS!" Takasugi then shouted as Katsura's blade swerved to take the silver haired man's head, "GINTOKI!"

Picolo's memory nudged him as he heard that name.

_Gintoki?_

And he remembered the past where the long haired samurai was speaking to him in his sleeping state about a man who was called—Gintoki.

_Katzura-zan... he's your...!_

Picolo's eyes burned red as he made one final aim—and it knew whoever it hit—will immediately succumb to what it was taught to be called _death._

Sword and laser both aimed—

* * *

><p><strong>~To be continued~<strong>

_Burning Picolo eyes off to kill!_

_Katsura is also off to kill!?_

_Who are they killing!?_

(Waiting for the moment of REVELATION. Their mysterious past with the strongest teacher...!)

**Thank you for reading!**


	9. Contempt 9

*** Too Much Familiarity Breeds Contempt***

_by: **WhiteGloves**_

**_CONTEMPT 9_**

_"What's that bastard laughing at?__" ~ Takasugi Shinsuke to Sakamoto_

_"You bastard! Don't look down on Takasugi-kun!" ~ Gintoki Sakata to Sakamoto_

_"Would you two knock it off?" ~ Katsura Kotarou to Takasugi and Gintoki_

_"Blehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"~ Sakamoto Tatsume to THEM three_

**_Enjoy Reading!_**

* * *

><p>There was a large ship seen in the galaxy. It held a particular insignia at its middle.<p>

Then out of nowhere, a part of the ship opened like a mouth ready to launch something.

Looking closely at it, we see a large metal crane emerging from the inside, carrying something that appeared to be a large bag. Inside the bag something was moving listlessly. It was a _head_. The head, whose body was tied inside the bag, had this wavy brown hair and curious pair of tiny black shades. He was a well known personality; he was a captain, actually and he was struggling with all his might as the bag swayed from left to right, as he mutter something incoherent in the middle of his unique laugh—

"Oww... aww... Mu-Mutsu!" he was saying frantically, "my neck got stuck—ow, hey!"

How this particular captain got himself inside the bag only one person could answer—and it was _that _Yato girl in her large _kasa_ hat that walked near him silently with her eyes transfixed that got his attention.

"Muuutsuu!"

"Stay there, stupid captain," the Yato girl answered quietly as she watched him, "bringing our ship closer ta the enemy like this... I never shouldda doubted for a sec how idiotic ye are. I told ye I'm gonna throw ye off board if ye do something stupid."

She stared coldly at the captain—to Tatsuma Sakamoto: the leader of the Kaientai group.

"What're you talkin' about?" he said rather shock, "I'm gonna save my friend from there so lemme go already! It's taking long for him ta get back in here! He's probably in big trouble!"

"Did that robot's warning not reach yer ears?" Mutsu replied without much change on her expression, "they're planning ta bomb that ship so bringing our ship close there is placing all of us here ta jeopardy."

"But Zura's—"

"No. Yer gonna have ta trust that robot's head ta bring _him_ here safely. That is... if he manages ta outwit that dangerous Kiheitai leader." Her eyes flashed as she looked outside the ship into the open space where miles away, she could see a stone like figure that looked like a ship, "Katsura's gonna have ta escape there on his own."

Tatsuma continued to struggle on his bag with a sweat drop at the side of his face.

"Ye don't geddit, Mutsu! Zura'll blow himself up!"

"So be it if he's an idiot."

"He'll blow Takasugi up!"

"Then he's also an idiot for falling ta Katsura's trap."

"But I want ter see em blow up!"

"You can blow up no matter how many times ye want just don't get us all involve."

"Mutsu! How could ye say that?!" he said in an accusing tone, "I— I'm yer captain!"

"..." the Kaientai Vice Captain paused for awhile to stare at him, and then after a few seconds, she glanced back behind him and gave an order. "_Throw him out."_

"H-Heyyyy!" he swayed the bag nonstop.

Just as the command was given and the crane had started moving to drop out the bag—the Vice Captain's attention was suddenly taken when there was an announcement at the paging system.

"_Captain, Vice captain!"_ said a voice, _"there's a small explosion at the lower end of the Kiheitai ship from what we observed from the monitor."_

Tatsuma and Mutsu both turned their heads toward the space where the enemy's ship was.

And the Yato girl's eyes narrowed.

"So it has begun."

The Kaientai Captain stared at the space too—

Until he felt his stomach turning at the sudden motion and height he was in—

_"Blehhhhhh!"_

* * *

><p>Metal clashing with another metal created sparks in the air as the long haired samurai's sword made contact with a thing that blocked its path toward a neck— Gintoki's neck. Fortunately, Gintoki was able to pull out bits of metal scraps behind him on the wall and used it as a shield from Katsura's attack.<p>

And the two engaged in a fierce fight.

But then the long haired samurai—though not in his right mind—proved to still be lethal as he swiftly pulled his sword back—and without second thoughts caught Gintoki by surprise as he found an opening and adeptly stabbed the Yorozuya leader on his left thigh—

Blood spurted out from Gintoki's leg as he felt excruciating pain hit this part of his body.

Katsura pulled the sword back and was about to make another attack— this time aiming for Gintoki's stomach for the moment was just too perfect and the anticipation was in the air when all of a sudden his body stopped—

Takasugi, who was at the background and enjoying himself, watched with great interest as the two fought—only to frown in the end when he noticed Katsura stopping all of a sudden.

The long haired samurai's face was as expressionless as ever and his eyes still without its flicker—yet as it reflected the silver haired samurai in the verge of dying right in front of him—his body just won't move.

And Gintoki Sakata knew he just had to smile at that. Smile at that he did, in a very Ginto_ish _way.

"Oi, oi..." he said in his familial tone of voice with his eyes up to meet that of the long haired samurai, "what's the matter, huh? Suddenly got a sore arm? Or is that shoulder? Or did that brain of yours finally started functioning now of all times...?"

Despite saying so, the Yorozuya leader took the opportunity to raise himself up with less stress on his injured leg and a hand at his still bleeding side.

"Ugh... you ass... you really got me bad, Zura..."

Katsura showed no sign of recognition, yet he didn't attack again after that.

Picolo had aimed yes— but his own hesitation got the best of him as he aimed it straight at Katsura. The opportunity however escaped him when the long haired samurai stopped in his movements, leaving the head alone and to stare at the samurai battling before it.

That was when it noticed another person joining the one eyed man samurai at the corner. It was a man with strange black hair, wearing dark shades and a headphone around his ear. Picolo was sure he had seen the guy earlier when he was beheaded. It was Bansai.

Looking at where the man had come from, Picolo had this sudden idea.

The strange samurai called Bansai then stood beside the Kiheitai leader.

"I see you have things fun in here." Bansai told Takasugi as he watched the other two samurai Joui patriots face off, "So who got you?"

He was referring to the bleeding side of the Kiheitai leader but Takasugi ignored him.

"The _Harusame_'s trying to contact the guy who brought their ship here," Bansai continued instead, "didn't tell them his dead yet. Didn't think they'd like that after all the trouble of convincing them to bring it here. What do you suggest?"

"Hmmph," Takasugi scoffed off as he turned around and headed toward the small ship, "give them Katsura's head for all I care. Better yet, give them both those idiot's head. I've just had enough of watching them."

"That Katsura..." Bansai whispered, his eyes fixed at the unmoving samurai, "...?"

Takasugi stopped and glanced back to Katsura and Gintoki. The long haired samurai has still hasn't moved or done any attack at all. Right in front of him, the silver haired samurai remained rooted on the spot.

"That guy..." the head phone samurai continued, "is fighting off the command...?"

Takasugi's eyes narrowed.

"Don't get ahead of yourselves," came Gintoki's voice all of a sudden that made them look at the Yorozuya leader who was smirking on his corner, "don't beat yourselves trying to understand what's happening. I told you many times, this is Katsura's head we're talking about. There's bound to be some set back here and there if you wanna mess up with that guy's head. Right, Zura?"

There was no response nor were there any movements.

"Tsk," Takasugi pulled his head back and was just about to walk straight to the _Harusame_ small ship when out of nowhere with a—_zroooooooommm—_it exploded!

The explosion was so strong that Gintoki found himself closing his eyes and raising both arms to protect himself. The ground shook and fire erupted from the remaining pieces of the ship.

Bansai and Takasugi, after protecting themselves, both stood to survey the remaining piece of the ship with their expression surprised and full of disbelief.

"What the hell...?" the ear phone samurai slowly said with eyebrows contracted while Takasugi's aura became darker and darker by the second for he knew only _one_ source of that strange attack.

"That little piece of..." he started cursing but when he turned, he found them two idiots at it again—

"_Oiiiiiii!"_ Sakata Gintoki was shouting at the top of his lungs as he was seen running around albeit he has his injuries for the long haired samurai was running after him like a maniac with a sword raised at hand as if ready to use it to whack somebody's head off, "_Oi! Somebody stop this idiot! The hell—what'd you guys do!? We were in a middle of a breakthrough just awhile ago, you dumbasses!"_

"Horaaaaaa!" the long haired samurai shouted with eyes flashing madly and ready to take off some silver hair he found so appealing, "Gohhhhhh!"

And he started whipping the sword before him in the air, almost cutting tiny bits of the silver haired samurai.

"Gyahhhh! That's my hair you ass! _Leave me alone, dammit!"_

"Hmm," Bansai suddenly said from his side as his background flared crimson from the fire made by the explosion, "there's no way to stop him now since the machine he's connected to has been destroyed. In fact— there's no stopping him at all since he's lost his brain in the machine. Good luck with that, Shiroyasha."

"_What do you mean 'lost his brain'!?" _Gintoki cried as he swept his sword he located around the room as he ran around and finally managed to put a stop on his run to meet Katsura's sword again—there was a clash—and with grinded teeth, the Yorozuya leader continued, "_He's got no brain to begin with so what d'you think you're controlling!? And heck—how'd you stop this idiot, you bastard!?"_

Multiple clashes of swords happened as the two exchange blows, making Bansai think for awhile before saying— "Sorry to tell you, but he's a lost case. The machine altering his memories is gone. There's no way to control him any longer so either you cut him or you be cut."

He watched more as the two danced around the crimson room where the other Kiheitai members had started gathering, shouting at each other about how to repel the growing fire.

That was when Bansai made up his mind.

"Let me help you however," he said, preparing his stringed instrument all of a sudden, "the way Katsura is right now, he'd be a danger not only to you but also to us."

Just as he pointed his attack at the long haired samurai, Bansai found something sharp stabbing him on his right shoulder that came out of nowhere. Looking back, he found a dagger deep in his shoulder with blood starting to seep out. Frowning at the unexpected attack, he looked at the place where it had come from and found the silver haired samurai eyeing him with his pair of red eyes glinting at him like that of a demon—

"Oi, don't add to the fuel here, you," Gintoki told him with that grimace of his as he fought off Katsura, "if you wanna dance go find another partner, will you? I ain't asking for a tag just so to get this _one_ back in his rocker."

The earphone samurai was silent for awhile, until he reached out and pulled the dagger out of his shoulder.

"Well," he muttered as he remained still and watched the two, "you'll be damned."

Takasugi saw from the corner of his eyes the earnest attacks of the long haired samurai. From the old days they had known him to be a formidable sword fighter, even earning his name as a 'kid prodigy'. Looking at Katsura now, it didn't seem like the long haired samurai had lost any of his touch. Just that—his brain was the real problem.

"Shinsuke-dono!" came a voice of a man.

"Shinsuke-sama!" followed by that of a woman.

The one eyed man looked at the doorway and found his two loyal allies there walking toward him in a hurry.

"What's going on here?" Henpeita said at once as he eyed the place and then the burning ship. "W-what...? Isn't that _Harusame's..._?"

"What the hell happened to it?" Matako's mouth gaped open as she, too, stared at it, "don't tell me that Katsura...?" she looked around him and found the long haired samurai battling with that familiar silver hair—

"_HIM_!" she screeched, pointing at Gintoki.

"_Me_?" the Yorozuya leader blinked, avoiding Katsura's sword by ducking his head.

"_Them_?" Henpeita added in confusion as his eyes fell on Katsura and Gintoki, "That Katsura... he attacked me right after we played UNO and then I don't know what happened until now. I just knew he was still an enemy so why's he fighting the Shiroyasha?"

"It's a long story," Bansai answered as the Kiheitai group finally stood together, "but one thing's for sure—they're neither on our side."

Takasugi's eyes glinted in malice.

And Katsura continuously tried to cut the Yorozuya leader who did nothing but to dodge and avoid him. Once or twice they would really clash—and Gintoki would sometimes aim to disable Katsura for real but not permanent. The problem was that, Katsura would not let him cut him—not once. It was probably the innate capability of the Jouishishi leader to evade any deathly attacks toward him when in face to face battle.

His skills were laudable. But it was starting to annoy the silver haired man.

"Oi, Katsura," he called as they finally stood against each other again and his face was already sweaty from the heat and the lost of blood, "this is taking its toll... aren't you planning to just drop dead, huh?"

Katsura didn't seem as if he heard him. Just like a robot.

It made Gintoki's eyes to narrow and got duller even more.

"Have you really lost yourself?" he asked quietly as they both stood still, "Doing all of this just to sacrifice yourself in the end. You've got guts to do that. And then what? So that you could really lose your brain? I know I've told you many times how _brainless _I think you are... and I don't think that'll ever change. You're still that brainless idiot who'd waltz in at my house every time he pleases just so he could bug me with the most ridiculous things. Did you hear that? I said 'brainless'..."

The long haired samurai had no response.

"You're wasting your breath," Bansai called out to him, "Katsura's already lost."

"_Point is..._" continued Gintoki with such a strong notion to ignore everyone else as he eyed the long haired samurai, "whether you have a brain or not, would that make you ever stop coming at my house? When brainless people do things without their brains, it's already called a 'habit'... that's why Zura... leave your fantasy of having your so called 'brain' controlled. You don't need your brain. You didn't need one to begin with so hack yourself and wake up already. There are better things for your hands to do than cut a lazy samurai like me. If you want cut something then go cut your card's hand. Ain't you better suited for that?"

"..." the long haired samurai was still.

Just as things were starting to get quieter, a sudden _familiar laugh_ filled the air that made _even Takasugi_ widen his eye.

_"A...Ah...Ahahahah~ Ahahahaha~ K-Kintoki? Is that you I'm hearing?"_

Everybody froze—most especially the former Jouishishi fellows who had often heard that voice.

Gintoki made a face. "O...oi... where'd that come from?"

He eyed Takasugi who was looking at him with narrowed eyes.

"So you heard it too...?"

_"AHahahah~ what's taking ye ta reply, Kintoki? Have ye forgotten my voice? It's me—Tatsuma! Ahahahah~ Ahahhaha~ Aahahaha~!"_

"Like I won't recognize who you are, dumbass!" the silver haired samurai shouted as he looked around, "and dammit where are you?"

"_Here—here! Well, I'm still at my ship ahahahaha~ but you can hear my voice through the speakers we input in Picolo's head, can't you see him?"_

"Picolo...?" Henpeita muttered and then all eyes fell on the only head lying on the wall whose mouth was open where Sakamoto's voice was coming from. "T-that head...?"

Gintoki made a face.

"Picolo again, huh? Were you the guys who put in laser in him too?"

_"Ahh... no! He's had that when I met him. He gave me a good hole in the butt too."_

"Are we gonna stand here talking bout' your butt? Then? What do you want? I'm kinda busy here, you see with this other idiot I'm fighting with."

_"Idiot, who?"_ Sakamoto asked humorously from the other end, "_Takasugi? That idiot Takasugi, you mean?"_

"H-Heyyy!" Matako shouted fiercely as she pointed at the head, "how _dare_ you call Shinsuke-sama an idiot, you BASSTARRDD!"

She pointed her gun at the head and aimed at it but Henpeita stopped her.

"Senpai!"

"Shh...that's Tatsuma Sakamoto, then? The Kaientai leader?" he turned to the one eyed man for confirmation but dark aura was again, around Takasugi for any communication.

And they all paid their attention back to the speaking head. Laughing head, it became.

_"Ahahahha~ Ahahaha! Say, Kintoki? Is that a girl's voice? What? What? What's going on there!? Are ye and Zura doing 'nyan nyan' in Takasugi's ship? Boy are ye two bold!"_

"What 'nyan nyan' are you talking about, you other brainless head?!" the silver haired samurai shouted sounding pissed, "and it's Gintoki, idiot!"

_"Ahahha~ AHAhaha~,I wouldn't blame ye if ye have plenty of girls there! It's just a surprise Takasugi's keeping so many after being such a cold monster guy back in the ol' days? Remember when we would drop by some places and ladies would gather around him like bees? AHahaha~ Ahahahha~ and then we'd promise to shave his head ter make him look bald? But why did ya shave Zura's head instead?"_

"I don't think this is the place to be talking about those things," Gintoki muttered with an exasperated look on his face, "Tatsuma, you moron. Get your head together. Oh look, you got someone pissed off. _Again."_

_"Eh? Eh? Whatcha talkin' about?"_

"S-Shinsuke...sama...?" Henpeita muttered nervously as they stepped away from the one eyed man who was already emitting such dangerous aura while Gintoki made a face with a sweat drop at the side of his face.

"You better hide yourself in the universe well, Sakamoto, you idiot..." he muttered.

_"Eh? Anyway, Kintoki! Where's Zura? I've heard the case from Elizabeth. We sent Picolo right there, remember? And we've been waiting for the return ship since two days ago. I got all worried and brought the ship here. Everything is okay right?"_

"If you wanna make sure of that yourself then why not get your ass here to help?"

_"Ahh..? I wanted to, y'know... but well, I'm inside a sack right now hanging inside the captain's area coz' Mutsu said I was being reckless as usual!"_

_"Bringing the ship this close ta the Kiheitai, ye are really an idiot." Came the Yato female's cold voice from the background._

_"But their ship's just like a piece of marble from here, Mutsu!"_

_"Shut up, Captain. That bomb he brought isn't something ye can underestimate."_

_"Oh right, the bomb! Kintoki, how's the bomb?"_

"Oi, Tatsuma—!" Gintoki tried to say but the Kaientai leader spoke faster than lightning—

_"Picolo's probably told ye but the bomb can destroy that whole ship in ago, you know. Now, I heard Picolo will be the one to set it but I doubt Zura'd let him really handle things on his own. So where's Zura, Kintoki? I haven't heard his voice? He hasn't turned the bomb on, has he? Kintoki? Kintoki?"_

Gintoki Sakata could not reply for then his eyes were all focused on the Kiheitai group who were all looking from him to the robot head with understanding in their eyes.

"Bomb?" Bansai said with a frown.

"In this ship?" Henpeita added.

"That can destroy it in a go...?" Matako blinked— and then they were all in action in a flash with Henpeita running toward the doorway and hitting the buttons near the doorway he announced—

"Evacuate everyone immediately! I repeat! This is not a drill! Go to your stations!"

"This scenario..." Bansai shook his head and headed outside calling, "Find that bomb!"

Making Gintoki make another face with his eyes turning dull as he sighed.

"Way to keep a secret, you idiot Tatsuma."

"_Ehh? Ehh? What did I do?"_

Gun shots were heard next as Matako shot bullets where Gintoki was standing. The silver haired samurai was able to avoid all of it but more came as the woman shouted—

"Oi! Where's this bomb, huh?"

_"Ehh? Is that an enemy? They know the plan? Huh? Did they capture Zura? Eh? AH..." _the Kaientai leader asked, and then realized..._"Oh...You guys must've accidentally slipped the plan, huh?"_

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO BLABBED, IDIOT!" Gintoki shouted.

_"Blabbed what? And te who?"_

"_Keep it shut, yer mouth, useless captain." Came Mutsu's voice._

Gintoki gritted his teeth as more complaints from Tatsuma came but all were washed out as bullets were shot towards him. He dodged each of it, and was then surprised to find Katsura attacking him again—

"Oi—Zura!" clashes of swords.

_"Kintoki? What's happening?"_

"Just shut it, idiot! You ain't helping!" the silver haired samurai shouted as again and again, he deflected the long haired samurai, "I've got enough dealing with Zura and Takasugi! Now you're adding up! Arghhh! W-what's this? A Jouishishi riot reunion? If that's the case I'd happily turn it down— ahhh! Oi—dammit—Zura!"

More swords blows and the next thing—Tatsuma was blowing his horns at the other end—

_"H-heyyy! Kintoki! Yer fightin' with Zura now? What the hecks gotten te ye guys?!"_

Gintoki gritted his teeth— Katsura attacked him again—

Tatsuma shouted at the other end again— _"Kintoki!"_

Everything was just too confusing that at the next beat—Gintoki snapped and angrily shouted—

"Will you guys just knock it off for awhile!? We're having some serious things here! And Sakamoto—_shut it!"_

Bullets were shot on his way again, distracting the Yorozuya leader for awhile but from the corner of his eyes he didn't see Katsura move; this made Gintoki sigh for awhile.

His rest did not last however as at the last second—he saw someone coming and attacking him behind the long haired samurai who was ready to strike and cut him in a matter of second— _it was_ _Takasugi in his demented state._

The Yorozuya leader only had seconds to count as he tried to raise his sword to avoid the man who was about to cut him—but knew he'd gain damage badly—he just knew Takasugi's attack was meant to kill.

And the silver haired samurai braced himself for the attack that was upon him in a blink of an eye.

Swords clashed—Gintoki's eye widened.

Takasugi was no better than him as he found someone clashing swords with him and it wasn't Gintoki.

It was another person's back and sword. It was that of the long haired samurai.

A smile spread on the one eyed man's lips.

"What's this?" the Kiheitai leader said, "playing dandy again, Katsura? Or is this plain instinct to protect your comrade?"

Katsura had indeed, raised his sword but it wasn't towards Gintoki anymore. He had stood then in front of the silver haired samurai and had met up with Takasugi's sword. The Yorozuya leader blinked in surprise.

"Z-Zura...?"

"_It's not Zura..."_ the long haired samurai closed his eyes and then opened them where they saw sharp glints in it. "_It's Katsura!"_

And he pushed Takasugi away with one swift of his sword and stood with his blades at hand. He stood in front of Gintoki, who blinked at him several times with his dull eyes.

"Zura... you...?"

Katsura slightly glanced at him from the corner of his eyes and for the first time their eyes met.

Just then—

_"Oi! What's goin on ye all?"_ Tatsuma Sakamoto's voice filled the air, making the long haired samurai stare to where the voice was coming from.

"Sakamoto..." he started, "thanks to you now they know of my secret plan."

_"...Eh?"_

Katsura closed his eyes and then turned to Gintoki.

"But this is a surprise. To really see you here, Gintoki."

"Be more surprised that it seemed like you got your brain back." Was the silver haired samurai's response.

The two glared at each other for what felt like a long time, until Takasugi stepped in with that placid, collected look on his face.

"So you were awake?" he said, stopping in front of the two, "how long have you been feigning being under controlled?"

"Since the time I realized I shouldn't be cutting this bastard no matter how spiteful he is," the long haired samurai answered, staring the one eyed man in the eye while Gintoki straightened up behind him, "You wouldn't understand it, Takasugi... My own body rejected the very thought of killing him and woke me up immediately."

"Then why'd you continue acting huh?" it was the silver haired samurai gritting his teeth.

"I had to think of a way to get us all out of here right after this charade after all."

"Zura..." Gintoki whispered, remembering that particular time that the Joui samurai had ceased his attack, then raged— _"You were already awake that time!? Then why did you continue attacking me!? You really wanna kill me, bastard!? Your attacks were the same as ever—there were no gives and takes! You were really tryin' to kill me, were you!?"_

"I simply didn't think you'd had a hard time defending against me."

"Don't give me that crap—you were trying to take my head off! What's with that? Is that about that UNO game again? Huh? We're you trying to retaliate by acting like taking my head off was an accident!?"

"Oh _Please..."_ Katsura turned to him sharply, "I wouldn't stoop so low just to kill the likes of you."

"Yes—how'd you think I stepped on your face if you weren't so low?!"

"Shut up!"

"_Oh boy, Zura!" _Tatsuma's voice came tagging at the conversation like it was a normal day to day talk—

Takasugi stared at them, and then turned himself and started walking away.

"Oi! You bastards!" Matako's voice was heard as she kept herself standing with that angry look on her face, her guns pointed at the two former Jouishishi compatriots. "You better tell us where that bomb is or you're all going down together with this ship! Damn, all of you should go die with this ship! How dare all of you talk to Shinsuke-sama like that!?"

_"Mutsu, did ya hear that?"_ the Kaientai's voice said loudly from the speaker, _"A woman's actually standing for Takasugi! Ye can learn some stuff from her if you'd care enough, yah know!"_

_"I don't care."_

_"Mutsuu!"_

"The bomb..." Katsura whispered, his eyes narrowing as Gintoki stepped beside him and the two stood shoulder to shoulder, "they must never have it."

"Don't worry," the Yorozuya leader assured him, "Me and Picolo got the bomb from some guys who picked it up and hid it in a place where no one would thought of looking for it."

Katsura's eyes narrowed even more.

"I have a feeling where you hid it, actually."

Gintoki made a face as he slowly glanced back at the Jouishishi leader.

A sweat dropped fell at the side of his face.

"R...really?"

* * *

><p>Inside a toilet room, a samurai came running and went straight to the cubicle.<p>

"Dammit, of all times," he muttered to himself as he worked on his pants, "announcing there's a bomb in the ship, are they all ridiculous? I better do this fast... uhh...?"

He looked at the tissue paper holder which was empty and had to curse.

"Who in the world leaves tissue holders empty?" he went out of the cubicle and frowned at his surrounding, "that freaky janitor who was cleaning here... where'd he... ah!"

And he found the tissue rolls at the top of the cubicle wall. Walking toward it, he tried to reach one but it proved to be too tall for his height. Cursing once more, the samurai looked down the floor for anything to stand on. That was when he saw a blue box hidden under the sink.

And an idea came to mind.

* * *

><p>Gintoki turned to Katsura with an obvious look on his face.<p>

That was when they heard Takasugi who was now standing away from them.

"You should've stayed that way, Katsura. You would have been more useful than that. And what happened to that dead play on of being a loyal Kiheitai? So it was all a bluff after all?"

"Not really," Katsura replied, "I've finished that contract."

Takasugi raised an eyebrow as he stopped to stare back at the long haired samurai.

Katsura stared at him transfixed.

"And Takasugi… I don't know why you want to destroy everything… but to kill a friend I can never do that… no matter how many times you alter my memory… no matter how many brains you put in me… there's something in me that will never _let myself kill a friend…"_

"You were really trying to kill me back then!" Gintoki repeated and insisted.

_"He did, neh?" _Sakamoto piped up in agreement.

Katsura merely closed his eyes.

"That something, Takasugi… it's called a _soul."_

Gintoki Sakata opened his mouth, but then decided against it and contented himself by just staring at the long haired samurai. It was the Kaientai leader that burst out enigmatically—

_"A...A...Aahahahaahahaha~ Now that's the Zura I know! Ahahahhahah!"_

"If that's the case then..." Takasugi's voice was cold and as Katsura and Gintoki looked at him, both their eyes widened as on the one eyed man's hand they saw a head. "How about shutting up something that has no soul at all?"

And he crashed his blade to the robot's head and destroyed it in half in one stroke of his sword—

Exactly at that moment, from the corner of his eye, Takasugi saw both Gintoki and Katsura attack him so adeptly that they were upon him in a second blink of an eye—ready to strike him dead—

But before the three swords clashed—

An earsplitting, earth shaking, ground breaking destruction was heard—and the Kiheitai's ship was blown to pieces into the galaxy as the man, from inside the toilet, accidentally stepped on the button.

It was like fireworks in the outer space.

* * *

><p><strong>~To be continued~<strong>

_They all shoot up the sky!_

_Who's gonna collect them all flying like stars?_

_Pick em' up, Sakamoto-san!_

(And for a LAST CHAPTER!)

**Thank you for reading!**


	10. Contempt 10

*** Too Much Familiarity Breeds Contempt***

_by: **WhiteGloves**_

**_CONTEMPT 10_**

_"Never do half-assed things."_

_~Takasugi Shinsuke from sensei_

**_Enjoy Reading!_**

* * *

><p>He could hear voices amid his dark surrounding... too close yet too vague. He could swear he knew those voices yet he could not recall to whom they belong... everything was unclear still... what with his ears still ringing from what previously happened to be a large explosion.<p>

And the unknown voices dawdled on continuously...

_"... they're both lucky we were there ta pick em' up."_

_"Aren't they? Ever since I met em' they've always been lucky survivors. Must've been in the blood. Ya think they're related, Mutsu?"_

_"How should I know? Yer the one who's more familiar with em.' You tell me."_

_"Ahahahaha... I dunno. I never came to ask if they're real brothers!"_

_"If they're related don'tcha think they'd have told you long ago?"_

_"I dunno. They didn't bother tellin' me they were schoolmates before. What's stoppin' em?"_

_"That's pathetic. Yer relationship with em' must've been shallow."_

_"Shallow, narrow or wazzat thin? But like we care bout' that anyway. Ain't it enough just staring there breathing at each other?"_

_"What are ye guys, fish?"_

_"Aahhahaha~ good one! I always tell Kintoki he was that! Come te think of it, Zura'd always stare in a space too with tat straight face. Ya think they're really related these two?"_

_"If they're in anyways related it's gotta be the head for being morons. And ya must've been another brother. I can't seriously imagine ye morons working together in that Joui war. Just what kinda war happened there with you blockheads running wildly around?"_

_"Ahaahahaha~ funny, Mutsu! With yer straight face I couldn't tell if ye were joking!"_

_"..."_

_"A—ahahah! Ye were jokin' again, ahaha.. aha...? Ah? Ya were jokin' with me, right Mutsu?"_

_"..."_

_"..."_

_"Anyways, yer the captain of this ship who picked em' up outta the galaxy again... like pickin' up other trashes ain't really a hobby already. So are they gonna be slaves here till they reach earth? This ship ain't any free on shipments or deliveries."_

_"Mutsu! That's Kintoki and Zura yer talkin' about! We'll reach earth in three days! Let em work for two days at least, nah? Ahahaha~!"_

_"..."_

_"Besides... we gotta return em both to earth immediately. This galaxy ain't big enough for three samurais. No—there isn't any place for em' here from the beginning so I'll let em' slip down ta Earth where they belong."_

_"_You seriously gonna make us some shooting stars?"

Both the Kaientai captain and vice captain whirled around where they stood as they heard the voice and found the silver haired Yorozuya leader, Gintoki Sakata sitting up on his bed with a gauze on his right cheek, bandages circling his arms that reaches to his exposed chest and on his leg. He was wearing one of those plain white kimono used in the infirmary. He looked physically incapable of moving but how he managed to sit there scratching his head and flexing his leg didn't seem to surprise the Kaientai leader.

"Kintoki!" he called, striding toward his old comrade with such a huge grin, "You're alive!?"

"Don't you mean 'awake'?" Gintoki put his pinky finger on his right ear and picked it as he realized he was inside Sakamoto's ship, "and who could sleep with you bawling around with that annoying laugh, huh? Am I not in the clinic? Isn't any funky nurse supposed to appear and kick your ass by now?"

He looked around and his dead fish eyes found the Kaientai Vice Captain who stared back at him.

"Not interested in a change of career, missy?" he asked.

"How about your next assassin?"

Gintoki made a face while Sakamoto laughed heartily and tapped a hand on his shoulder, giving the Yorozuya leader a chance to gasp in pain as it shoot up to his spine.

"Oh, sorry, sorry!" Tatsuma said apologetically as the Yorozuya leader's face screwed in pain, "forgot you just recovered from that explosion. Do you remember what happened to you, Kintoki?"

"Do you seriously _try_ to remember my name, Tatsuma?" the silver haired man muttered as he sighed the pain away and looked up at the two Kaientais with his memories flashing before him, "of course I remember. It's not every day you get two maniacs after your life in an hour and survive right after a huge explosion like that...my ears still hurt but... uh... I survived, right?"

He looked down his body and touched here and there while Tatsuma sniggered.

"Well, ya knocked yerself out in that battle, Kintoki. Ye got yerself beaten up by Zura and Takasugi nah? AHahahhahaha! Lucky ya we were really close by ta pick ya up. I thought ya were in pieces back there but I found ya just fine floating with them metal scraps. Had to hook ye up like a fish."

"Don't blame me," Gintoki shook his head and looked around, "where's that idiot who's the reason behind all of this?" He shot a look at the Kaientai leader, "You picked him up too, right?"

"Ou!" Sakamoto nodded, "he was just floatin' like ye were when we found ye. Ye were asleep for half a day already but Zura was already up and about after eight hours or so. Ye were sleepin' like a log."

"That's fine." The Yorozuya leader put a weight on his injured shoulders and then cracked his neck from left to right, "I seriously thought we were goners when I heard the bomb... some idiot must've found it. I wonder how they realized it was there?"

"Well, whatever," Tatsuma shrugged his shoulders, "but Takasugi seemed to have survived too. We saw a ship escape the area before we came... lucky him, too huh? But it's a shame Picolo-san was nowhere to be seen."

Gintoki gave his old comrade a long look. He remembered the last time he spoke to the robot head and that last time he saw it in Takasugi's deadly hands. He remembered how Takasugi destroyed it in front of him and Katsura... and then the explosion.

"What did Zura say about that?"

"Oh, Zura? Nah, he hasn't said anything."

"Tsk. Keeping everything to himself again huh? Seriously, that Katsura..."

"Ah, no, that's not what I meant," the Kaientai leader blinked behind his tiny shades, "I meant that Zura hasn't spoken a word ever since he woke up approximately 4 hours ago. Haha! You shouldda seen him staring into space, Kintoki like he's some sorta idiot."

Gintoki stared at Sakamoto hard and long with both eyebrows contracting.

_"Huh?"_

* * *

><p>"Look at him," the brown haired samurai wearing the red coat muttered as next we find the two former Jouishishi compatriots standing behind a display bushes, observing a long haired man sitting by one of the empty chairs around the lounge area of the Kaientai ship. "He'd woken up after few hours of gettin' picked up from the space and he'd never left that area the mo' he sat there!"<p>

Gintoki observed Katsura who was sitting sideways from them with face up. He couldn't quite see the long haired man's expression and because of his usual rigid feature and stance, Gintoki could really not identify if something was different from him.

"Have you tried talking to him?" He turned to Tatsuma who nodded at once.

"I did many times... tried tellin' him who my name was and who his name was. He ain't responding. I already had my men put him in our testin' lab and got bad results on his brain."

"You mean _you actually found one?"_

"Dunno. They found one so he's gotta have some brain, don'tcha think?"

"Depends if he's using it."

"That's what I'm tellin' yah, Kintoki. His brain ain't respondin'."

"So what's new?" Gintoki blinked, then added like an afterthought, "it doesn't seem like he's any different...?"

"Ya don't geddit!" the brown haired man turned and faced the silver haired man and together, the two huddled in one corner with serious looks on their faces, "Mutsu has already explained the situation to me in the simplest manner."

"Good, coz' I doubt I'd understand it from another maniac like you. Now say it exactly as she said and don't be changing any word!"

"_A man unable to conceive a baby because of the lack of uterus—"_

_"JUST WHERE THE HELL THERE IS SIMPLE!? Oi? How is that related to the matter at hand, you idiot? Stop listening to that vice captain of yours!"_

"You get the point, Kintoki—"

"No, I don't—"

"It means Zura's brain ain't responding right now. They said it must've been caused by his exposure to the explosion that caused his memory lost."

At that, the Yorozuya leader paused and blinked.

"Memory lost?"

"Didn't I tell ya? I tell yah he ain't reacting when I call him by his name. I tried talkin to him 'bout Picolo and Takasugi but he really ain't givin me anything, not even a blink. He didn't even remember my name—so he gave me a new one—"

"Who cares about your name?" Gintoki stood up from the display bushes that they were hiding from with a look over at the long haired samurai, "if Zura had forgotten about you I wouldn't blame him. You were always out of sight after all and everyone in Edo's all having that out of sight out of mind kind of mentality."

"Kintoki, that's just mean! Oi—!"

For the silver haired samurai had walked around the bushes and straight to the opposite chair that Katsura was looking at with a table in between them.

"Oi, Katsura," he called, sitting at the chair and looking at the long haired samurai's face. What he saw made him stare and with face dark with background of depression behind.

"Kintoki!" Tatsuma had followed him and stood beside the two, "what are ye doin'?"

Gintoki grimaced as he watched Katsura.

"Oi...forget about memory lost, this guy's probably dead."

Looking at Katsura, we find him with the same white kimono, his forehead covered with bandages; his face had that blank, vacant expression and with eyes soulless—almost dead with it rolling backwards. His mouth was also gaping open and there was a question if he was still breathing or not.

Tatsuma stared. "I dun't see anything different than usual."

"Where are your eyes!?" Gintoki pinched Sakamoto's cheek and forced it to look at the long haired samurai, "do you honestly call that alive, huh? No! That's a zombie! Can't you tell the difference of a zombie to a human, huh? HUH?"

"Ow—hey!" the brown haired man pulled his cheeks away and massaged it, "but it's kinda difficult ta say since I haven't seen Zura in awhile..."

"Then how'd you know he lost his memories?"

"Then why not try an' talk ta him?"

Gintoki frowned deeply as he turned his attention to Katsura again. The Jouishishi leader remained faithful to his facial expression and gave no sign of acknowledging any other person's presence. The Yorozuya leader raised an eyebrow.

"Oi, Zura...?"

There was no active response.

Gintoki exchanged looks with Sakamoto before trying again.

"Oi... if you've got a brain then spill it out. Do you recognize this face?"

He pointed to himself but the long haired samurai remained indifferent to him. To his great surprise and relief, Katsura's eyes rolled back from his head to look at him and for the first time he showed a sign of responding.

"You..." he started in a whisper and Gintoki found the glint on his eyes encouraging, "are you really...?"

The silver haired samurai waited expectantly with eyes getting round—

"_Silver Surfer-san?"_

The Yorozuya leader's face darkened.

"AHahahah~" came Sakamoto's voice as he laughed out loud, "he called me _Captain Nebula!"_

"Like that's any comfort!" the Yorozuya leader said sounding annoyed, "and that's a woman isn't it?"

"Ahahaa~ I could care less! I mean, people do get ta mistake names sometimes so why blame em'?"

"You're the only one who's like that!"

Katsura blinked at the two as he finally pulled himself out from his zombie stupor and stared from one man to another with his straight face.

"Excuse me, but do you need something from me?"

"Uh?" Gintoki starred, "he's speaking manner is the same...? Oi, do you remember who you are?"

Katsura frowned.

"What sort of question is that? It's clear isn't it—I am Captain _Thanos."_

Both Gintoki and Sakamoto paused—

"Eh... who?" the Yorozuya leader went on as the long haired samurai blinked slowly and crossed his arms in a familiar manner.

"You think I would not know even my name?" the Jouishishi leader asked testily, "Captain Nebula has had told me many times that I had forgotten who I really am and that I went through difficult times. Ridiculous. Who else do you think I would be but Captain Thanos—the one who left my body comatose to expand my consciousness in to the universe after defeating Eternity."

"Comatose—what?" the silver haired shot the Kaientain leader a look, "and who the hell's Eternity?"

"That seemed to be the nick name he gave after I told him bout' Takasugi?" Sakamoto shrugged as his eyes fell on the long haired samurai, "So yup. Definitely memory lost."

"Forget about memory lost! This guy has assumed another role in life!" he pointed at Katsura who innocently stared back at them, "what's with this different story line? This ain't anything near our universe! It isn't even anywhere near Japan!"

"See? I told ya already," the Kaientai leader put his hands on his waist with a little frown, "there's sumtha wrong with his head. But it strange how the explosion got the best of his memory, I mean, you're here fine, nah, Kintoki?"

"Tsk," the silver haired samurai straightened with eyes still at the long haired samurai, "maybe he's brain suddenly got the urge to function when everything blew up and got wind of the wrong identity."

"Come of it," Tatsuma grabbed the Yorozuya leader by the arm and the two talked in whispers at one corner with the long haired samurai watching them, "let's not talk in front of him he might be another alien the next second for all we know."

"What have you been telling him?"

"Never mind what I'm ta tell him, what are ye gonna tell him?"

"That he's a brainless idiot?"

"Ye think tellin' him the truth might help him?"

"The truth's the first step in acceptance—no matter how many times you twist it, the truth's still the truth! He's a brainless idiot! Why should we hide it? Sooner or later he'll find it out and he'll realize it for himself!"

"Man, that's gotta hurt for a truth." the Kaientai leader now looked over at the long haired samurai who had resumed his vacant expression and rolled eyes. "Poor man, must've hit his head pretty hard on sumthing. Got his head clogged."

"His brain's clogged." And Gintoki told Tatsuma about what the Kiheitai leader did on the long haired samurai's brain.

"Takasugi did, huh?" Tatsuma looked thoughtful, "Knocked himself outta in planning against Zura? Uh? Kintoki?"

For Gintoki had stepped toward Katsura again and had stood just beside the Jouishishi leader with his face also blank and with his dead pan eyes returning to their normal _dead look_.

"I've had enough of that face," he muttered while looking at the long haired samurai, "Oi... why do you keep doing that expression? You're creeping me out, Zura."

Katsura's eyes rolled back to its place as he eyed the silver haired samurai again.

"I can say the same to you," the long haired samurai gave him a narrowed look, "your eyes are irritating... lifeless and useless. It's no different than a butthole. Seeing you irks me somehow, Silver Surfer!"

"It ain't Silver Surfer!"

"Hmm? You're not Silver Surfer? Then who the hell are you?"

"That's what I've been asking you?"

"Don't be insane. How would I know someone I just saw?"

That sparker Gintoki's face as a vein suddenly popped at the side of his head.

"To be called an idiot by this idiot...You're really asking for it, Zura..."

"It's not Zura, it's Captain Thanos!" he shouted fiercely with conviction that felt familiar to him.

"Don't be sayin' it like that if it's not your name!" Gintoki knocked the long haired samurai's head so hard, it sent Katsura down the floor with hands over his head.

"K-Kintoki?" Tatsuma ran behind the silver haired samurai, "oi, don't get pissed at him now, he's in a sensitive state!"

"Sensitive state my ass!" Gintoki said fiercely, "if he's gonna be sensitive then he should stop making that face! It's alright if he forgot who he was to begin with but it's just annoying to see that ridiculous expression!"

"You bastard—!" Katsura retorted back as he shot Gintoki a look, "that wasn't a ridiculous expression! I, Captain Thanos, am practicing my will and ability to leave my body behind to expand myself to the universe!"

"SHUT UP, IDIOT! YOU MUST BE AN IDIOT, YOU'RE AN IDIOT!" the silver haired samurai kicked the Jouishishi leader down and stepped on his backside looking vexed, "like hell you can expand yourself without your head! If you're gonna be doing that, try expanding to your inner self for some sign of brain! Geez! Having you acting madly more than usual is more dangerous than any alien around! I'd have you thrown out in the galaxy if you don't remember who you are right now

"Stop calling me idiot! My name's Captain Thanos, bastard!" Katsura tried to look behind him but the chair he was sitting on suddenly fell on his head courtesy of the Yorozuya leader who threw it at him without ado.

"Kintoki!" Tatsuma shouted in alarm with a sweat drop at the side of his face, "O-oi!"

"You said something hard must've hit his head, ahh?" Gintoki went on with the table on his hands above his head, a vein still bulging, "how about we balance it, ahhhh?"

"Kintoki—!"

He threw the table just the exact moment that Katsura's head popped up from the chair that was thrown to him. It got him square at the back of his head—and as if it wasn't enough, a display vase with bushes in it hit him too—breaking the vase and knocking him out in the process.

* * *

><p>"Sheesh, watch yer temper, Kintoki," Tatsuma said half an hour later as we see the two back at the ship's infirmary with the long haired samurai fast asleep on one of the clinic bed, "rattin' out your anger on a sick man... what's the matter with ya?"<p>

"Says someone who actually threw a heavy vase with huge amount of soil in it," the Yorozuya leader replied as he put a hand at the back of his head. He was sitting on one of the bed too with the Kaientai leader looking over the long haired samurai.

Silence fell between the two. Then Tatsuma spoke with a serious tone.

"So what do we do if his memory does not return? Do you think it's better if we let him wander around clueless of everything that has happened to him?" he turned a serious face to the Yorozuya leader who eyed him with the same weight of seriousness.

"Don't be joking like that. It's like letting a lion out of his den and letting it play with kittens while thinking he was one of them," Gintoki sighed and looked at Katsura too, "I dunno what's better. I've stopped thinking of what's better a long time ago."

"Then why not leave him be?" came another voice and the two samurai turned to see the Kaientai Vice Captain standing by the doorway with that stoic expression, "would there be any problem at all if he doesn't remember?"

"Well, assuming he became another pirate in space who'll probably end up thinking of wiping out the universe or conquering the universe..." the silver haired man stood from the bed as he scratched his head, "I think we're safer to have the brainless Zura back here."

He walked toward the doorway and went pass the Yato girl with his eyes back to its fish likeness and blank face and said, "And haven't you heard the saying when idiots lost their way, you keep them back on their tracks? I promised this guy if he ever changes I'll be the one to straighten him out."

"Is that why you're all the way here from Edo?"

"Want me to spell it for you?"

"...," Mutsu watched him go quietly while Gintoki continued walking along the corridor.

"Where're ye goin?" the Kaientai leader called out as he stood beside the Yato lady.

"Toilet." Gintoki answered as he waved a hand and left the two staring at his back.

"He's shy, don'tcha think?" Tatsuma then grinned down to Mutsu who closed her eyes. "Deep down he's really worried bout' Zura, ya know."

"You've all got a funny way of showing it," she said, "it's rather _odd."_

* * *

><p>Gintoki went on his way with his usual hobby of putting one free hand inside his white kimono and the other hanging out loosely for the world to see. He walked towards the toilet and used one of the cubicles. Looking around, he somewhat remembered those times that he had to clean the bathroom as a janitor and could say the Kaientai toilet was better than that of the Kiheitai.<p>

"Just cause he doesn't freakin' go to public toilets," he muttered to himself as he unzipped his pants and went on looking for tissues after washed his hands, "damn that Takasugi... come to think of it..."

He frowned at finding no tissue paper anywhere. He searched from left to right and still none.

"Where the hell..." and he looked up exactly to find the tissue role at the top of one of the cubicle wall, "what sort of idiot puts tissues there?"

He walked near the wall and realized he could reached it either. Gintoki frowned and looked below him. He saw a box looking material and shook his head.

"Tsk. Common sense sometimes is tested even inside the toilet, huh?" and he pushed the box with his feet and stepped on it. After successfully getting the amount of tissue he needed and using it, he threw it on the trash bin and walked outside with a light feeling. "Why do I feel like there's something I have to remember...? Hmm... did I hit my head too like Zura...?"

He walked back to the corridor overlooking the galaxy from the glass window. That was when he noticed a small ship gliding near them and stopping at the Kaientai ship's entrance with that strange ship flag colored white with round eyes in the middle and yellow beak. A familiar flag.

The Yorozuya leader blinked, and then ran back at the clinic to see Sakamoto.

He found the room crowded—only to find one additional in the room.

A large shaped white costume Gintoki would always recognize wherever he goes.

It was Elizabeth.

"Kintoki," Sakamoto started when he noticed the silver haired samurai, "right on time. Mutsu just told me that Elizabeth's ship came to get Zura."

Elizabeth raised a board that said—_I already know the situation. Leave Katsura-san to me._

Gintoki blinked and then watched as men came around carrying a stretcher where the long haired samurai was already resting fast asleep with a strange peaceful look on his face.

"You think you can _change_ his mind?" the Yorozuya leader said to the Amanto rather literally when Katsura was out of the room and there remained four people, "that idiot's already thinking he's some sort of superhero in some other country comics because Takasugi disturbed his brain."

_He'll be fine. _Elizabeth answered reassuringly. _We have the same equipment in the ship. Katsura-san will be ok in no time. Would you want a hitch back to Edo?_

Gintoki stared at the board then felt Sakamoto's hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Eli," the Kaientai leader said, laughing, "this ship's goin' down there too! I kinda miss my ladies—owwww! Owwww! H-Hey, Mutsu!"

The Kaientai vice captain had pinched the man on the cheek without any trace of expression on her face.

"We're going ta Edo for business, moron," she reminded him coldly while Sakamoto scratched the part where he was pinched.

"Of course I know that!" he said with a grin, "anyways, Eli, Kintoki'll be ridin' with us to Edo so just concentrate on making Zura okay again, don'tcha?"

"Why do I have to ride with you?" the Yorozuya leader said the moment Elizabeth was gone with the Jouishishi ship, "you'll take roundups because you've got to handle land fees and all that while those fugitives go straight to my place—"

"Stop complainin' and just join aboard! And ahhh... by the way, Kintoki... we lack workers in the sanitary department, ya know... mind sharin' some of yer muscle?"

"OI! DID YOU JUST TAKE ME TO CLEAN THIS PLACE?"

"Now, now Kintoki! You're here anyway Ahahahaha~"

"Forget it!"

"Come now, Kintoki! You can't be a freeloader all yer life!"

"Who's a free loader!? I'll kick your ass—bastard!"

"O-Oiii!"

At the background, the Yato lady sighed and bowed her head.

"_Samurais." _she breathed in the same manner she would have done when saying the word 'crap'. She looked up to find the Kaientai leader getting a head lock from the Yorozuya leader who aggressively tried to behead him using his arms.

"K-Kintoki, I think it's coming off...! A—ck!"

"What's coming off, ahhh? Want me to become your cleaner! Bastard, I'll kill you!"

"But you're a_ cleaner, _aren't yeh?"

"Like hell I am!"

"Then why were yeh wearing that strange janitor uniform when we found ye?"

"Shut up! Go die!"

"Accckkk! K-Kintoki! That—Ahahahhaa~ That tickles! Hey...ackk! I-I'm dyin'! Help, Mutsu!"

But Mutsu had already left the two alone quietly.

* * *

><p>Hours later, inside the Jouishishi ship, we find Elizabeth faithfully sitting by Katsura Kotarou's side who was again, lying inside the infirmary with different cables connected on his head attached to a machine. There was a sound of smoke breathing from the machine and then the constant beeping sound.<p>

The Renho Amanto stayed by his side quietly and watchfully with his expressionless face. Then somebody came behind the Amanto and gave him some result papers. Elizabeth looked at it and then sighed as he looked over at Katsura again.

Just then, the Jouishishi leader's eyes slowly opened. Elizabeth straightened.

"..." Katsura's eyes adjusted to the dark and found the Renho by his side. "Eli...?"

_Are you feeling okay?_ Came his question on his white board.

The long haired samurai took his time as he closed his eyes, feeling a sudden ache at his head that he had never felt before. When he opened his eyes, he found Elizabeth looking at him. The samurai only managed a sigh.

"What happened?" he asked slowly, his voice too low—almost like a whisper, "w-why are you hear... am I not supposed to be... wait..."

He shut his eyes close as his memories came back to him in pieces and in vague forms. It also made his head ache too much that in the end, he breathed the pain away as he opened his eyes.

_Katsura-san?_

"It's fine..." the long haired samurai stared his eyes up the ceiling and gave a long pause as he tried to recall what had transpired, "I take it... I'm no longer in Takasugi's...ship if you're here?"

The white alien nodded.

"How?" Katsura closed his eyes, "I can't seem to remember anything anymore... except after that... when Takasugi... no... that man called Bansai... inside the Harusame ship... what exactly happened after that..."

Katsura's eyebrows contracted but then slowly, peace came on his fair face and slowly, the long haired samurai drifted back to sleep without his notice.

Elizabeth watched him, and then looked back at the results on his hands.

* * *

><p><strong>~EPILOGUE NEXT~<strong>

_From Captain Nebula to Captain Katsura!_

_Who'll be the captain next!?_

_For the EPILOGUE!_

_It's finally an END!_

**Thank you for reading!**


	11. The Epilogue

*** Too Much Familiarity Breeds Contempt***

_by: **WhiteGloves**_

_(a/n: They blew me all away!)_

**_CONTEMPT: THE EPILOGUE!_**

_"Thank You." ~ Sensei_

**_Enjoy Reading!_**

* * *

><p>Sakata Gintoki had a massive headache when he returned to the land of the samurais two days later in mid noon after leaving the port where Sakamoto's ship had landed. He was not displeased by the delay, but he did bid farewell the Kaientai leader in the most remarkable manner—having packed the brown haired man inside one of the freight his ship was delivering in town.<p>

"Watcha doin'— Kintoki!?"

"I'm saying 'arigatou' nahh!" and he slammed the box shut at Sakamoto's head.

Another most notable thing then was the fact that the Kaientai vice Captain was just standing by and watching the process of '_packing the captain'_ with an indifferent expression like it was the most natural scene to see.

"Ya leaving already?" Mutsu said more than asked when Gintoki had finished his task and had started walking away with Sakamoto's hysteric voice filling the air.

"You sound like you're disappointed?" the silver haired man stopped walking with a finger at his ear and blowing it from his finger, "isn't two days enough already? I could've left your ship a day earlier if not for you guys landing here and there which is nowhere near my town. Do you need janitors that badly?"

"We wouldn't have hired ya for the job if ya were not good at it."

"And that's a compliment? And why'd I have to work all the way here, huh?"

_"Ya can't be a freeloader all yer life, Kintoki!"_ came the brown haired man's muffled voice.

"Shut up!" Gintoki turned with a closed fist and contracted eyebrows, "like I've never heard that one before! And you've said that same thing five times already this day! What's with you working people always looking down on us? Like you've never tried being freeloaders before!"

"Tried and have experienced." The Vice captain replied drily, "Just didn't work out as good as for ye as it did for us."

"Tsk. That's what you get for not trying _hard_. It takes years to master it—you gotta put your heart to it. In any case, you've got to put that captain's of yours in his right place one of these days! Having an empty head for a long time... well, ja na'... I'll be heading out now."

_"W-wait! How about me?! Kintoki? Kintoki, Oi! M-Mutsu? MUTSUUUUU!"_

Gintoki had exhausted all means necessary to get back home immediately after that. It wasn't just because of his headache after having conquered space but that he remembered something important. He hadn't thought of these things while he was on outer space having been preoccupied by Katsura's stupidities, but now that he was trudging his path home, it got to him— that he had left a sensitive, care seeker, hungry stricken, mood for food swinger little girl who needs an adult to take care of her back home. Did he remember large appetite?

Did he remember his strawberry milkshake supplies?

The Yorozuya leader grimaced as he stopped and looked up at the Otose Snackbar and Yorozuya-Gin-chan house. What are the chances of his milkshakes surviving?

The answer made his future dim.

It was lucky enough he had Shinpachi to rely on to work things out with the Yato girl. Still, he was hoping against all hope that she hasn't eaten the sofa bed or the futon out of hunger.

"I understand, I understand..." he muttered to himself, practicing already the part where Kagura and Shinpachi confess to him about his milkshakes while he take steps up towards the second floor landing where his house was located, "You drinking my milkshake can't be helped. I wasn't here to consume it anyways, but uh... you do realize you have to pay for those things right? Oh yeah, you don't have money? How about I deduct it from your salary?"

He stopped by his doorway with his shadow on the door.

"Wonder what's that thing that's stinking up the house?" he muttered to himself, looking up and down his lodge, "Don't tell me... Sadaharu...?" but then the silver haired man paused and then looked down his clothes. With a raised eyebrow, he raised his armpit and smelled himself. This made him grimace even more.

"Damn... I'm still wearing that janitor clothes Sakamoto threw at me...two days ago."

He scratched his head and reached a hand at the handle of his door.

"I haven't worn my original clothes for like a week since Katsura blew me up. Damn it... destroying such precious item in a blink of an eye—that Katsura's gotta pay for that with money. Good thing I always keep a number of that favorite design of mine in my wardrobe otherwise _I wouldn't be me. _Tsk... I'm the only original one who can wear it like I do anyways! Original characters stick to being original characters. Copied characters should just remain getting copied since they can't handle being original. As for me—who'd be _daring enough_ to copy me? I, Yorozuya's Gin-chan? The _uncopiable?"_

He pulled open the door with a smirk on his face.

"Oi... I'm..."

And saw a bunch of people inside the house—all wearing those _original_ clothes of his.

Gintoki blinked, his face falling to it's usually sleep like expression.

"Uhhh...?" he muttered staring inside the Yorozuya household after what felt like a long time to find strange people in his dress, inside his house and all doing exactly as how he would do his hobbies—

For starters, there was a group of Sakata Gintoki's at the sofa and even at the floor—all reading _JUMP _of who knows what volume already. His dress aside, he recognized their heads to be of that people living at the park, spear headed by Hasegawa who was reigning at the sofa. Junks were found at the floor.

Next he recognized Kagura sleeping by the boss' table with her mouth open and saliva coming out of her mouth. People whom Gintoki realized to be from the pachinko house were beside her yawning, reading, even playing pachinko at what appeared to be an automated pachinko box behind them. Other people he could not recognize for there were some people not wearing his dress but were complaining at the ones with the dress saying they were customers of some sort.

"Why are there so many of you?" one customer asked irritably, "who's the real one?"

The different people in guise as the Yorozuya leader responded by putting a hand on their dirty white hair and shrugging their shoulders—although how _white_ their hair was a question as well.

All of which confused the already confused real Yorozuya leader.

"What the hell...?" he stepped inside, his eyes going around from one person to another, "who the hell...?"

"Gin-san?"

The silver haired samurai turned his head on the right side and saw the young man wearing glasses, Shinpachi, who came out from the kitchen carrying a tray.

"Shinpachi?" Gintoki blinked as the megane boy's eyes suddenly became very teary.

"G-Gin-san... is that really you?" Shinpachi called, his voice cracking at how emotional he was becoming—and then all of a sudden, he ran toward the silver haired samurai with tears splashing from his eyes—_"GIN-SAN!"_

Everybody raised their heads up when they heard this and almost automatically, straightened themselves out as the megane boy went running to the Yorozuya leader with his arms wide open—

"_Gin-san! I miss—"_

Gintoki slammed his palm on the megane boy's face and kept him at bay with an arm length distance.

"_Shinpachi," _the silver haired man said with the side of his lips twitching, his eyes dead pan, and his atmosphere dark, "do you want to explain just what the heck is going on here? Why's everybody wearing my dress? And why are _you_ serving them my _strawberry milk shakes?_"

"G-Gin-saan... _you're... back..."_

"Gin-san?" called another voice and Gintoki looked up to find Kagura standing in front of him with her lips trembling, her eyes also tearful, "it's you, right?"

But before the silver haired man could answer, Kagura had landed a kick at the man's middle without warning—her eyes fiery.

"_Where the hell did you go, you irresponsible adult ! Leaving a fragile girl back at home all alone!? Don't you have any shame left in your head, damn bastaaaardddd!?"_

"GAHHHH!" Gintoki flew back to the doorway and stayed on the floor for a second with his head spinning.

"If it isn't Gin-san in flesh," Hasegawa suddenly came forward with a smile on his lips, "it's really good you're back, Gin, this place is awfully lonely without you."

A vein pounded at the side of Gintoki's head, making him stand with vigor.

"Bastard—I'm sure it ain't at all that lonely! And what are you all doing here in my dress and as ME?"

Then out of the blue—the Yorozuya leader's voice rang across whole Kabuki.

_"ALL OF YOU GET THE HELL OUTTA MY HOUSE! AND LEAVE THOSE JUMP MAGAZINES OR I'LL FOLLOW YOU TO THE AFTER LIFE! I'M THE YAKSHA DAMMIT!"_

To which nobody believed and just left the things he said before they scrammed out of the house albeit slowly with yawns and stretches here and there as if really taking it to heart to be like _him. _It especially irritated the already temperamental samurai.

"Hurry up already—what are you old men? Hasegawa—what are you staying there for?"

"Sup', Gin?"

"Don't 'sup sup' me bastard! Damn these people..." he sighed as he threw himself at the sofa as Kagura and Shinpachi watched his every moves, "I disappear for a few days and then this happens. Just because the owner's gone everybody thinks what's left behind is all theirs!"

"Don't blame them, Gin-san," Shinpachi said as he stood beside the Yorozuya leader, "they were all just trying to help out... uh.. somehow..."

"Who needs em' when I'm here?" Kagura said with Gintoki's dress somewhat loose for her size. "I can handle the Yorozuya's jobs if you're ever going to be away, Gin-chan. But what's the matter with you, Gin-chan, leaving without notice? Where'd you go off to? Didn't your father tell you to always return home early, yes?"

"And didn't your father tell you not to let in strangers in the house, huh?" Gintoki took hold of the sleeves she was wearing, "and why the heck are you all wearing my dress? And why didn't those people remove _my_ dress when they left the house!? That's called robbery! Oi!"

"Uh, Gin-san.." Shinpachi sighed and pointed down the balcony—

Gintoki frowned and looked down—only to find his land owner outside her shop with a table on with a dozen of that white blue kimono and dark undershirts selling it in the market. The Yorozuya leader's face darkened.

"_Oi! What the hell's the meaning of that!?"_

"Otose-san collected the five months' rent when you weren't here, Gin-san," the megane boy explained with an apologetic look, "then she found lots of people here wearing your dress so she thought the design of your dress must be popular to the market so..."

"Geez! That baba!" the Yorozuya leader gritted his teeth and then went on shouting, "_Oi! Those designs have trademarks! I'll sue you if you guys don't gimme half of your earnings!"_

"Gin-san..." Shinpachi called as the silver haired samurai turned and marched inside his house looking pissed, "what happened to you? You did follow Katsura-san, right? How is he?"

Gintoki went straight to his refrigerator only to find it empty. Hasegawa was now on the boss' chair, drinking his milk shake. An angry pound appeared at Gintoki's face.

"He's fine," he said after throwing a _JUMP_ book at Hasegawa's head and marching toward his bedroom, "He's supposed to have returned before me here with Elizabeth. He's got a little issue about his brain damaged but seriously, what's new? He blew up Takasugi's ship, mind you."

Both Kagura and Shinpachi stared at the news.

"He what...?" the boy mouthed while Kagura closed her fists.

"Woah... as expected of Zura! Did he blow himself up too, yes?" Kagura removed the Gin dress and had sat on the floor where, surprisingly, she found the supposed to be missing Sadaharu. It appeared that he was covered on by the number of people in the house.

"He blew us all up—heck I knew I was gonna get blown up having been tangled on his hair!" Gintoki put a hand at the handle of his door, "You know that idiot can't just die without blowing other people up. Damn, I'm feeling tired just thinking all about it! Lemme sleep awhile, geez. Even I can get ship sick and ship lag! Now I understand Sakamoto's brutal motion sickness! Then to find the house filled with people I don't even know..."

And he opened his room door—and then stopped dead as he stared inside.

His eyes found their usual expression.

And the Yorozuya leader's house darkened once more.

It was because there on his bed, lay a ninja from the Oniwabanshuu by training, Sarutobi Ayame—the ninja assassin—wearing Gintoki's pajamas with legs currently curled on his favorite hotdog pillow covered in _his white dress_.

"What's the matter, Gin—" Shinpachi and Kagura stepped behind him and saw her too.

Dark backgrounds appeared around the three Yorozuya members.

And there goes Gintoki's voice again—

_"GET OUTTA MY ROOM!"_

* * *

><p>Peace and calm didn't appear to the Yorozuya leader for a whole week after his return.<p>

For starters—there goes all the customers he supposedly accepted during his absence. Aside from the fact that all of them weren't actually entertained by him, there was this problem that required him to work on all of them at once. Gintoki had to run here and there for a whole day just so he could finish the jobs given at the Yorozuya team. Not that he had any choice—they had to establish the good name of the Yorozuyas again after the fake Gin-san's neglect.

Once or twice, the three of them worked separately on different jobs but most of the time the three of them worked together. It was around this time that Shinpachi went and asked this question again. They have just returned home from a work that involved chasing a hare all over town when the megane boy came up to him.

"Gin-san?"

"Uh?" the Yorozuya leader was found relaxing his back on his favorite boss chair wearing his _original_ dress.

"It's been awfully quiet lately," he commented as he sat at the sofa chair with Kagura sleeping on the other chair.

"You think? I've never had a decent sleep ever since I returned."

"No, that's not what I mean.. I mean—it's been awfully quiet on Katsura-san's side. It's been a week already and he still hasn't contacted you. Are you sure he's fine?"

"Lemme see," Gintoki sat straight on his chair and eyed the megane boy, "He blew up a friend, blew up a friend's sister, blew up a ship, blew up a head, and friggn blew up the freaking Shogun! What else in the world would make him noisy, eh?"

"You're being sarcastic, Gin-san," Shinpachi's eyebrows contracted, "I know I should be mad at him for what he did to my sister, but we both know he didn't mean that. I know Katsura-san would never try and hurt anyone even if they are on his way. He's not that kind of person."

"Have you met anyone with his kind of brain then?"

"Why are you not defending him, Gin-san?"

"Can't," Gintoki put both hands at the back of his head as he leaned backwards and looked up the ceiling, "the fact is—he did those things knowing the results. It doesn't change the fact that he hurt people. Zura's a complicated person you know... and very stubborn. He's smart enough to know the consequences of his actions... so you cannot blame him for not easily forgiving himself and showing himself at that doorstep."

He pulled his eyes back and looked at the megane boy quite seriously.

"Idiot as he is, he's always one of those people whose Bushido is stronger as his head."

"..." Shinpachi stared at the Yorozuya leader with a deep thoughtful look. Gintoki returned his gaze.

"_It's not Zura..." _the sleeping Yato girl said in her dreams with drool on the chair, "_it's bakka-Zura..."_

"But don't worry about it," the silver haired samurai stood up and stretched his arms, "it's also not like Zura to brood over these things. Luckily, he's got an air head whenever he wakes up from a long sleep and kind of forgets his mortal problems. He'll be back at the door before you know it—"

_Ding~ Dong~_

Gintoki paused and went to the door to answer it.

"Another job?" he was saying as he walked toward the door, "this may sound a little weird for you, but we're close for now. Do you realize how many work I had to do this week? I ain't living all my life just so I could work for other people like a slave, dammit."

He opened the door and found himself face to face with the humongous white face of the Amanto Renho—

"Elizabeth?"

The Renho just stared—and stared. Gintoki gave him the same intensity of a look.

"..." then came the sign board from its back.

_I'm looking for Yorozuya Gintoki Sakata._

The silver haired man stared at the sign, then at the amanto.

"What do you think am I? An apparition?"

Elizabeth changed the sign.

_The REAL Yorozuya Gintoki Sakata._

"What kind of proof are you looking for, huh?"

_I've been calling at this house for days but always there were many faces greeting me saying they were Sakata Gintoki. I need the REAL one._

"Well, it depends on what kind of _real _you're looking for," Gintoki put a finger up the hole of his nose, "I mean—doing these simple things doesn't make me the original, but I still feel I'm the original so you just gotta go with your guts to believe if it's me or not."

And he stuck and wiped the dirty finger from his nose on the Renho's white costume.

* * *

><p>Katsura Kotarou was walking along the street of Kabuki in his usual attire of blue kimono and white haori. He was absentmindedly looking at something on his hand as he walk, strangely oblivious—or not—to the shadows following his every move.<p>

And the long haired samurai stared at the object on his hand, which then appeared to be a metal scrape. It was dark and burnt already, but the samurai held it with such a care.

It was then that he stopped walking and found himself standing outside the shop of Edo's greatest engineer—Gengai-san.

The door was open but there seemed to be no one at the front door at the moment. Katsura hesitated, and then looked down at the piece of metal on his hand again.

With his long pause, he then noticed a shadow appearing on his right side. The long haired samurai immediately looked up and found himself staring at the face of the Yorozuya leader.

"Oi, you looking gloomy," Sakata Gintoki greeted and Katsura noticed that familiar white board sign sticking behind the man's head as if it got stuck there, "so Elizabeth was right in saying you were out of yourself. What's wrong with you spacing out in this place? Don't you know your face is terrorizing the citizens? Have you forgotten how infamous you've become lately, you idiot?"

"Gintoki..." Katsura whispered, his eyes transfixed at the man, "you..."

The silver haired samurai scratched the back of his head and stepped toward the long haired samurai.

"What are you doing here outside Gengai's shop? And what's that on your hand, huh?"

The long haired samurai gave a short pause, and then handed something to the Yorozuya leader before walking away.

"Oi...?" Gintoki blinked and then looked down at his hand. It was different than what he saw on the Jouishishi leader's hand. It was— _boom!_

A small explosion made the citizens of Edo stare around at the source of such a noise and found the silver haired samurai, who's hair was burned and darkened, smoking where he stood with his hand and front dress all black.

Gintoki gritted his teeth and smirked.

"What the hell is this... _ZURA!?"_

And he chased the terrorist down an alley where he saw him walking deeper into the darkness while still shouting—

"What the hell's with you giving out bombs!? Are you Santa Clause or something? Do you intend to give these gifts to fellow terrorists on Christmas?"

"Leave me alone. I've no time to waste on simpletons like you who cannot distinguish the word 'friend' from a 'tomato'" came the sour reply of the samurai that made Gintoki grit his teeth even more.

"What the hell's with the tomato? And what's with that attitude? Have you forgotten whose ass it was that saved you couple of times in that ship and got his ass nearly whipped because of your idiocy? Oi!"

Katsura stopped walking and so did Gintoki and the two stared at each other from a distance. The long haired samurai's face was full of question that reflected that of the Yorozuya leader.

"What do you mean in that ship?" came the Jouishishi leader's voice as he fully faced the silver haired samurai, "What ship are you talking about?" his frown deepened.

"Don't give me that crap—you know what I'm talking about back there at Takasugi's..." Gintoki stared, and then blinked several times as it hit him, "Oi... _don't tell me you really forgot what happened after you blew me up in an alley?"_

"So you are aware of my memory's disappearance?"

"What do you mean 'disappearance'? Don't say it like losing bread you keep hiding from others!"

"Shut up," the Jouishishi leader cut him off, "I do remember attacking you several times, but you should have seen all of those coming. From a childhood friend like you whom I've cherished like a real brother to say we are not at all _that_, I've already been insulted enough. You and Takasugi do say the same things a lot."

"Don't compare to that maniac who's still running around like a maniac," Gintoki's eyebrows contorted, "Man... you forgetting about me in that ship... kinda means we're back to square one. You're _Anti-Gin-san_ again, aren't you?"

Katsura didn't speak. Gintoki sighed.

"You're really an idiot, Zura."

"It's not Zura and you know it. It's Katsura."

"Go bang your head in the wall, you freak but that's not for regaining your memory. It's because you're a real nut!"

"I said shut up. There's no way I'd listen to someone like you anymore. Why did you even bother to come and talk? Are you trying to appease yourself for what you've done?"

"I've done many things! You're the one forgetting so do some work and knock your head out!"

"That's not how you make peace with a friend!"

"You ain't my friend!"

"There you go again—bastard!"

"_Piss off and look for your dang friend if you find one!"_

But as Gintoki turned to leave fuming, he noticed that Katsura had gone quiet behind him. Looking back, he saw the long haired man hiding in the shadow of the dark alley, half his face unseen. This made the Yorozuya leader pause.

"_Oi..._ you're much scarier when you're silent bastard," he said, "it's like your plotting for the end of the world. What? Suddenly remembered _Captain Thanos_ and _Nebula_? Have you realized your life's ambition? To be a numbskull?"

"Tell Shinpachi-dono how sorry I am for getting his sister caught up in my plot," came the Jouishishi leader's soft voice. "Elizabeth told me what happened after my escape... it disturbed me a lot."

"It better," the silver haired samurai snorted without turning, "and you had better not plan to show yourself anywhere near her these days... she'll pummel you."

Katsura's eyes softened in the dark and there was a little smile that escaped his lips.

"Gintoki..." he then continued, "tomorrow _I'll... surrender myself to the Bakufu_."

If this announcement had surprised the Yorozuya leader, he only showed it with a slight side glance at the man from where he was standing. He could see Katsura facing the opposite side—their backs to each other.

"Reforming a country... reforming a friend... includes trudging on innocent people." He continued in the middle of silence, "Like Takasugi, I'm also someone who questions what I see... even questions why I still do things that I do... to whose purpose I am trying to reform this country? To whose satisfaction am I trying to reform a friend? And why... must other people be involved?" he looked at the scrape of metal on his hand, "All those things have been in my head for quite some time now... then at the end of the day I would realize I am still at the same footing as when I started. I didn't progress at all."

"What's that got to do with surrendering?" asked the Yorozuya leader from his back.

"If I surrender then maybe... I would understand another perspective. A perspective that sensei understood back then."

"That's a huge_ 'maybe' _you're betting your life on." Gintoki's back remained firm, "Sensei didn't surrender because of those thoughts. He never surrendered even when he was inside their prison. Listen—if you think going over there and handing yourself to the Bakufu would answer your questions then I won't stop you. Go follow your Bushido code according to what you believe in. Because I know in return—you won't listen to someone who's not even your friend, right?"

Katsura didn't say anything for awhile, but then he gave a short chuckle.

"You're right. You are not anyone's friend but your own."

"You bet. Oh, and by the way, before you get your head off, here—."

The long haired samurai turned just in time as his face got glued on what appeared to be a toilet clog pump, smacking him and getting him square in the face.

"Umfff?!"

"Bastard, an air head like you who kept on forgetting things like this should really get their heads taken off for some surgery!" Gintoki pressed the pump at the long haired samurai's face before letting it go and turning around to leave. "I'll say it again Katsura—_sensei didn't surrender for the Bakufu's sake let alone die for this stupid country. Embed that on your head again if you've also forgotten."_

And Katsura was left to deal with the sticky pump which came out of nowhere and to which he has no idea if clean or not—except upon close inspection.

It was only when he was able to move it that he found the Yorozuya leader out of his sight. He was alone again. Looking at the toilet clog on his hand, the long haired samurai remained silent for a long time.

* * *

><p>"Shinsuke-sama?" called Matako as she stood outside the doorway with him in the Kiheitai's ship. It was another large ship made solely for the Kiheitai group in case of emergencies. No one could really determine the power of this terrorist group. Right at that moment, we find the two inside a dark room where the one eyed man was standing and leaning on the window with his half loose purple kimono on his waist, exposing his injured body covered in bandaged, his hand on his <em>kiseru<em>. Other than that, Takasugi Shinsuke looked unharmed.

When the gunslinger girl called, the leader did not even turn. But he did let out a simmer of smoke from his lips.

"Shinsuke-sama, it was confirmed that the Kaientai ship helped those samurais after the explosion."

"Tsk. Sakamoto, huh? What devil's luck. What's Bansai's report?"

"He said the leaders of the Harusame ain't at all happy with what happened to their man and wouldn't be sending a new ship yet, but they did promise to help us retaliate with those samurais in Edo."

"Tsk. They've been saying the same thing over and over." the Kiheitai leader muttered, "Katsura won't be stupid enough to infiltrate Kiheitai again and Gintoki wouldn't fancy going after me. They've lost their chance of taking them."

"We could always go after them ourselves, Shinsuke-sama!" the girl said sounding sure of herself. "To let them live after what they did to our ship... I'll kill them myself!"

Takasugi suddenly gave a chuckle that startled the blonde girl. It was the one eyed man's sinister laughter that got her blinking.

"You really think you can take those two out?"

"Shinsuke—"

"Don't even try getting near them," he suddenly eyed her with a glint on his eye, "those two need to live... those lives are not theirs... nor is mine. In the end, we will only be the ones who can judge ourselves if we die or rot in hell... with sensei."

Silence fell between the two. Takasugi's eyes flickered again.

"Then again I wouldn't put it pass those two to die in a whim... I forgot how incredibly stupid they both are."

* * *

><p>And to that day the land of the samurai was peaceful. Until the next day when we see a long haired samurai walking quietly on the street around what appeared to be a long line of wall that belonged to the Bakufu's head quarters. The samurai stopped in front of the gate and then stared.<p>

_"You're not anyone's friend but your own."_ Katsura repeated quietly wearing that favorite disguise of his—his monk attire complete with his _kasa_ hat. Like what he had decided on the previous night, he was there and ready for action; but then he had to deal with a tiny problem as he continued, "If so then... what are you doing here... _Gintoki?"_

For there, standing like a prison warden, leaning on one of the pillars brick gate of the Bakufu with arms and legs crossed was none other than the Yorozuya leader. The two had met again.

"You..." the Yorozuya leader looked up with eyes dead but his expression was livid, "you really plan to surrender your head here, Zura?

"It's not Zura. It's Katsura. And what's with that look?" the long haired man asked looking unfazed, "for someone who claimed he won't interfere with my decision...are you trying to tell me not to take a step forward? That you would take me down the moment that I do?"

"Now what would make you say that?" Gintoki grinned from ear to ear, still standing by the wall with arms crossed, "I wouldn't dare try and threaten you like that now, would I, Zura?"

Katsura didn't avert his eyes from the silver haired man, until he closed them.

"We have nothing to talk about. Get lost, Gintoki."

"Look—I ain't the one who's so brainless he would offer his head to be chopped off."

"Bastard, you're in my way _again_. Why do you feel like bothering when I don't want you too? Even when I don't ask for help you just pop around and mess things for me just like what you're doing right now."

"Isn't that the same thing for me?" the silver haired samurai raised his eyebrows, straightening up, "When I don't offer any help you just go your way and assume I'm already helping! Seriously, ticks me off. And you wouldn't have bothered telling me that if you don't want me stopping you, idiot."

"Which makes you listen to me only when you want to."

"Which makes you never listen to me and never want to!"

"You're being absurd, Gintoki, now get out of my way."

"You're saying it like I'm some love rival who's on your way to your romance!"

"I'm saying it like you're an old mother who keeps on nagging her son not to get married!"

"Forget it, you ain't getting married."

"If you get out of the way, we'll find out."

"This place ain't a church, idiot!"

"Hey, what are you guys doing over here?" a large deep voice made the two old Jouishishi patriots look at the man from inside the gate who was wearing a Bakufu uniform with a grouchy look on his face. "You're both looking suspicious."

"Uh, huh," Gintoki glanced back at Katsura who opened his mouth.

"Excuse me, I want to—" and just like that—another toilet clog pump smacked straight on his face, making him unable to speak for awhile. It was Gintoki who slammed it to him.

"Never mind the monk, officer," he said with a sheepish grin at the man in uniform, "this old monk's been looking for a toilet for days. Can't you smell him? He's been reeking around and I just decided to show him the right place. Let's go—damn _idiot!"_

"MFFffffp!?"

* * *

><p>"Where the hell do you get this?!" Katsura asked moments later as the two is seen standing by the river side with the long haired samurai clinging on the toilet pump.<p>

"I'm Doraemon. Try me." Gintoki answered with a shook of his head, "and what's with you and these suicide missions, Katsura? Oi—want me to clog your brain for you and flush it down the loo?"

"I'm saying—_why do you bother me?"_

"I ain't the one doing the Kamakaze missions! Bastard—I thought you'd change your mind like you always do but this time you really wanna try the jail, huh? You think they'd let you out alive just after you announced tag teams with Takasugi! If you can't use your brain, use your common sense, you suicidal maniac!"

"What are you talking about?" the long haired samurai frowned, "I never said anything about suicide."

"Right—and you'll just take a vacation inside the prison, huh?"

"Hmm? It's not like I'll get killed once I surrender."

"Wanna bet?" the silver haired samurai scratched his head and put the toilet pump on his shoulder, "geez, you're making me old! Be ridiculous again and I'll have you drink in one of those toilet seats."

Katsura blinked at the Yoruzuya leader and then it hit him.

With a smile on his lips, he removed his kasa hat and closed his eyes.

"I get it."

"What do you get?"

"That's you're a hopeless idiot, Sakata Gintoki."

"Huh?"

"Like I told you, I don't plan on getting myself killed. Thank you for coming."

Gintoki gazed at him from his dried and dead eyes.

"What the hell are you talking about? Babbling things on your own again. Anyways, I really came to give you this."

He shifted a little, and then put a hand inside his chest kimono where he rummaged and took something from it. He then tossed it up toward the long haired samurai whose eyes widened upon seeing what was thrown to him.

It was a red box.

"This..." Katsura muttered with a sound of disbelief on his face as he touched the UNO card box that was thrown to him, "just how...? but this is...?"

Gintoki scratched his head, "Got it from Sadaharu, alright? Figured you really need this for any other tournament you're holding. Is this really that lucky?"

Katsura stared at his lucky red box and couldn't help being moved to tears.

"It's not just about the lucky hand, it's about the times we've spent together using this deck that made it all important for us Jouishishi." He said with eyes shining, nearly throwing Gintoki off his balance.

"Well, I don't really get it..."

"Gintoki, I knew you'd do better to serve the Jouishishi team next year. You're a natural talent."

"I just returned the damn cards, how'd you know I got talent?! And how the hell can a simple game really lead you in that infiltration plan against the Kiheitai! You're really something—no, you're missing brain is something!"

"But I didn't join the Kiheitai," Katsura explained as he put the card on his cheeks as if to feel it, "it so happens that Henpeita-dono was their member and I could not let him slip by without defeating him."

"Uh?" the Yorozuya leader blinked, "you mean to say... you jumped aboard the Kiheitai just to defeat that guy?"

"That's one of the main reasons," the long haired samurai nodded, "although... I didn't expect things to go as they did. Defeating Takasugi also came as a chance... But I was able to defeat Henpeita-dono at the last second and then sent him sleeping before I went on with the plan."

Gintoki gaped at the long haired samurai and made a face.

"So in the end, it's all about UNO..."

"Why else would I be persistent in joining their group? I was really touched when Takasugi allowed me to stay in his ship. That guy, he hasn't forgotten the things we went through as a kid."

"The guy tried to kill you."

"That's Takasugi for you. And as for you."

"Huh?" Gintoki was surprised, when all of a sudden the long haired samurai grabbed the toilet pump and point it at him as if it was a sword, "Oi..."

Katsura gave him a look.

"I owe you this one. _Friend."_

The Yorozuya leader was silent for awhile, and then took the pump away from Katsura's hand.

"Like I said... _who'd be stupid enough to be your friend?"_

The two former Jouishishi compatriots stood there by the river bank with silence enveloping them. The sun was already set.

"By the way, Gintoki," came Katsura's serious voice as they started walking towards the street again, "this box... it smells funny. I hope you didn't feed Sadaharu-dono anything to make him throw it up."

"I fed him alright," Gintoki called as he walked ahead in that rocky way as Katsura stopped, "but it's against him and Kagura to throw up things that enters their mouth."

"Hmm?"

"Uh... yeah," Gintoki Sakata looked back with his dead fish like eyes and little finger sucked inside one of his nostrils, "you've got it all wrong if you think he threw up."

Katsura stared at the Yorozuya leader with his own eyes leveled and straight.

And Gintoki called out—

"It's the _wrong end_."

* * *

><p><strong>~THE END~<strong>

_(The feels... the revelations... the end... the MANGA!)_

_These deranged characters thank all of you for sticking with us and their stupidities!_

_Thank you for being with us till the end!_

__Sakata Gintoki and the folks will come back!__

**Thank you for reading!**


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